避 bì — avoid; shun; flee; escape; leave; to keep away
下雨了，我们到屋檐下避一避雨。Xià yǔ le, wǒ men dào wū yán xià bì yi bì yǔ.It is raining; let us take shelter under the eaves.
Common words: 避免 (bì miǎn)、逃避 (táo bì)、回避 (huí bì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "avoid"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "avoid", including 避 (bì), 躲 (duǒ). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "avoid" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 避 (bì), 躲 (duǒ) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span bì, duǒ — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 避 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 避 bìavoid; shun; flee; escape; leave; to keep awayUseful words: 避免, 逃避
- 躲 duǒavoid; get out of way; to hide; to go into hidingUseful words: 躲藏, 躲避
Common words for these 2 "avoid" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 避 (bì) — so "avoid" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
避免bì miǎnto avert; to prevent; to avoid; to refrain from逃避táo bìto escape; to evade; to avoid; to shirk回避huí bìto shun; to avoid (sb); to skirt; to evade (an issue)躲藏duǒ cángto conceal oneself; to go into hiding; to take cover躲避duǒ bìto hide; to evade; to dodge; to take shelter躲年duǒ niánto avoid going home for the Chinese New Year (for any of various reasons: because one finds the festivities onerous in some way, or because it would be seen as inauspicious for one to attend, or, in former times, to avoid creditors, since it was the custom to have debts settled before New Year's Day, and once into the New Year, debtors got a reprieve)
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "avoid".
躲 duǒ — avoid; get out of way; to hide; to go into hiding
下雨了，他躲到屋檐下避雨。Xià yǔ le, tā duǒ dào wū yán xià bì yǔ.It rained, and he hid under the eaves to take shelter.
Common words: 躲藏 (duǒ cáng)、躲避 (duǒ bì)、躲年 (duǒ nián)
All 2 characters
Open 避、躲 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.