幸免
xìng miǎn · HSK 7
to avoid (an unpleasant fate)
🍀 幸 = luck + 免 = avoid; luckily avoid the disaster that hit everyone else
幸 carries the sense of good fortune (as in 幸运), and 免 means to avoid or be exempt (as in 免费, free of charge). Together: you got lucky and were spared. Used when someone barely escapes a fire, crash, or layoff that others didn't.
免 — pictograph of a person 人 with a hat or helmet
免 originally depicted a person wearing a hat or helmet, suggesting removal or taking off. The meaning shifted to 'avoid, exempt, escape from' — as in escaping a duty or being spared. It is graphically related to 兔 (rabbit), but the two characters have distinct origins.