冷 不 防

lěng bu fángdictionary entry

unexpectedly / suddenly / at unawares / off guard / against expectations

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-707c6f32c29158ee. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

冷不防冷不防 [leng3 bu5 fang2] /unexpectedly/suddenly/at unawares/off guard/against expectations/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

冷
lěng
cold
Lěng
surname Leng
不
bù
no / not so / (bound form) not / un-
防
fáng
to protect / to defend / to guard against / to prevent

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.