Your colleague is flying to a client meeting and hasn't checked the flight details yet. You want to give practical advice and explain why it matters — without sounding like you're lecturing. That's where 以免 (yǐmiǎn) comes in: it means "in order to avoid" or "lest," and you place it after a suggestion to name the bad outcome you're trying to prevent.
The structure is simple: state an action or suggestion first, then add 以免 plus the undesired result. The key sentence from this lesson is:
你应该提前确认航班信息，以免耽误行程。 (nǐ yīng gāi tí qián què rèn háng bān xìn xī, yǐ miǎn dān wù xíng chéng) — "You should confirm your flight information in advance, to avoid disrupting your trip."
The advice always comes first — confirm the flight details — and 以免 introduces what you are trying to avoid: disrupting your trip. A shorter example: 请提前到，以免迟到 (qǐng tíqián dào, yǐmiǎn chídào) — "Please arrive early to avoid being late." This pattern is especially natural in professional or practical situations where you're warning someone about potential problems.
This is a live voice conversation lesson with AI teacher Mei Lin. You talk out loud in real time — no typing — and Mei Lin corrects your grammar and pronunciation as you go, adapting to your level. The lesson focuses on one grammar pattern and takes about 10 minutes. You'll practice giving advice and explaining what bad outcomes to avoid, using 以免 in realistic scenarios like travel planning, meeting preparation, and project deadlines.
After this lesson, you can warn someone about potential problems and explain what they should do to prevent them. For more grammar at this level, explore the HSK 6 lessons hub page or try another HSK 6 live lesson on Going a Step Further with 进而 (jìn'ér) and Seizing the Moment with 趁 (chèn). You can also print handwriting practice sheets with the free Chinese worksheet generator.
以免 (yǐmiǎn) means "in order to avoid" or "lest." You place it after a suggestion or action to introduce the bad outcome you want to prevent. For example, 你应该提前确认航班信息，以免耽误行程 means "You should confirm your flight information in advance, to avoid disrupting your trip." The advice comes first, then 以免 introduces what you're trying to avoid.
以免 specifically connects a suggestion to the undesired outcome it prevents — the structure is always Action，以免 + Bad Result. It's used to warn or advise, especially in professional or practical situations. Unlike simply saying "don't do X," 以免 frames things positively: here's what you should do, and here's the problem you'll avoid by doing it. This makes it ideal for Preventing Problems in a constructive tone.
In this 10-minute live voice lesson, you talk with AI teacher Mei Lin about scenarios where you need to warn someone and suggest preventive action. You'll use 以免 to connect your advice to the outcome it avoids — things like travel delays, missed deadlines, or meeting disruptions. Mei Lin corrects your grammar and pronunciation in real time as you speak.
Yes — the first lesson can be tried free, with no credit card required to start talking. You'll speak out loud with Mei Lin in a live voice conversation, practicing the 以免 pattern in context. Each lesson targets one grammar point, so you can focus on Preventing Problems before moving on to other HSK 6 patterns.