<p>It will make more sense to you if you understand it as: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>孩子[<em>由于不小心</em>]踢到椅子.  </p>
</blockquote>

<p>不小心 here is <em>the cause</em> of  踢到椅子.  In English, it can be <em>The kid kicked the chair due to his carelessness</em>.  </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-17T10:45:36.050Z
2020-01-17T10:45:36.050Z
dan
<p>Strictly speaking, your translation is incorrect and that is what is tripping you up. </p>

<p>不小心 has many interpretations here, and the one employed in all these examples is along the lines of "wasn't paying attention" or "was not being careful" -- this implies it is NOT actually playing the role of an adverb in the sentence. As such, 地 is not required. In essence, it is two subsequent actions. </p>

<p>for example: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>他不小心摔倒了 -- He wasn't paying attention, and fell down.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>compared to</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>他不小心地摔倒了 -- He carelessly fell down.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The spirit of the sentences is basically the same, but your question appears to be more about the nitty gritty details of what role 不小心 is playing in the sentence. If you wish to translate it as an adverb, then you are right, there should be a 地 there, but that's not the only way to translate 不小心. <a href="https://www.youdao.com/w/eng/%E4%B8%8D%E5%B0%8F%E5%BF%83/#keyfrom=dict2.index" rel="noreferrer">According to youdao</a>, it can play a noun, adjective and adverb. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-17T09:48:38.387Z
My opening sentence sounds exceedingly harsh. Open to edits that softens the tone and indicates that I'm being exceptionally nit-picky about calling the translation "wrong"
Marko
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-01-17T09:47:52.377Z
2020-01-17T09:47:52.377Z
Marko
<p>A bunch of examples:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>(1) 脚<strong>不小心踢到椅子</strong>上面<sup><a href="https://www.120ask.com/question/75939179.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">[src]</a></sup><br>
  (2) 在上课，后面的人<strong>不小心踢到我椅子</strong>了<sup><a href="https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/873081559215235132.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">[src]</a></sup><br>
  (3) 孩子<strong>不小心踢到椅子</strong><sup><a href="http://www.110.com/ask/question-9319380.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">[src]</a></sup><br>
  (4) 贾玲跳舞,<strong>不小心踢到椅子</strong>,椅子腿断了,陈赫非常关心!<sup><a href="https://v.qq.com/x/page/t0720z60o80.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">[src]</a></sup><br>
  (5) 脚肿了，是<strong>不小心踢到椅子脚上</strong>，小脚趾肿了<sup><a href="https://iask.sina.com.cn/b/bHf8fS9L1rl.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">[src]</a></sup>  </p>
</blockquote>

<p>I don't understand why there's no 地 here, i.e., 不小心<strong>地</strong>踢, as per</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Adj. + 地 + Verb<br>
  <sub><a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Structural_particle_%22de%22#.E5.9C.B0_.28de.29_Before_Verbs" rel="nofollow noreferrer">地 (de) Before Verbs</a> and <a href="https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Turning_adjectives_into_adverbs" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Turning adjectives into adverbs</a>, <em>Chinese Grammar Wiki</em></sub></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Maybe there's an exception here.</p>

<p><strong>Question</strong>: Why is there no 地 in 不小心踢到椅子?</p>

<grammar><particles>
Why is there no 地 in 不小心踢到椅子 ("carelessly kicked the chair")?
# Why is there no 地 in 不小心踢到椅子 ("carelessly kicked the chair")?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-01-17)

A bunch of examples:

> (1) 脚**不小心踢到椅子**上面[[src]](https://www.120ask.com/question/75939179.htm)  
> (2) 在上课，后面的人**不小心踢到我椅子**了[[src]](https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/873081559215235132.html)  
> (3) 孩子**不小心踢到椅子**[[src]](http://www.110.com/ask/question-9319380.html)  
> (4) 贾玲跳舞,**不小心踢到椅子**,椅子腿断了,陈赫非常关心![[src]](https://v.qq.com/x/page/t0720z60o80.html)  
> (5) 脚肿了，是**不小心踢到椅子脚上**，小脚趾肿了[[src]](https://iask.sina.com.cn/b/bHf8fS9L1rl.html)

I don't understand why there's no 地 here, i.e., 不小心**地**踢, as per

> Adj. + 地 + Verb  
> [地 (de) Before Verbs](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Structural_particle_%22de%22#.E5.9C.B0_.28de.29_Before_Verbs) and [Turning adjectives into adverbs](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Turning_adjectives_into_adverbs), *Chinese Grammar Wiki*

Maybe there's an exception here.

**Question**: Why is there no 地 in 不小心踢到椅子?

**Tags:** grammar, particles


---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-01-17. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

Strictly speaking, your translation is incorrect and that is what is tripping you up.

不小心 has many interpretations here, and the one employed in all these examples is along the lines of "wasn't paying attention" or "was not being careful" -- this implies it is NOT actually playing the role of an adverb in the sentence. As such, 地 is not required. In essence, it is two subsequent actions.

for example:

> 他不小心摔倒了 -- He wasn't paying attention, and fell down.

compared to

> 他不小心地摔倒了 -- He carelessly fell down.

The spirit of the sentences is basically the same, but your question appears to be more about the nitty gritty details of what role 不小心 is playing in the sentence. If you wish to translate it as an adverb, then you are right, there should be a 地 there, but that's not the only way to translate 不小心. [According to youdao](https://www.youdao.com/w/eng/%E4%B8%8D%E5%B0%8F%E5%BF%83/#keyfrom=dict2.index), it can play a noun, adjective and adverb.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: My opening sentence sounds exceedingly harsh. Open to edits that softens the tone and indicates that I'm being exceptionally nit-picky about calling the translation "wrong"  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-01-17. Score: 4

It will make more sense to you if you understand it as:

> 孩子[*由于不小心*]踢到椅子.

不小心 here is *the cause* of 踢到椅子. In English, it can be *The kid kicked the chair due to his carelessness*.


---

