Not realizing what you are doing, or not realizing what is happening around you. As an adjective it almost always sits in front of a noun and describes a person who is part of a situation without knowing it: 'the unknowing victim of a scam', 'an unknowing accomplice', 'unknowing participants in the study'.

Not realizing what you are doing沒有意識到自己在做什麼，or not realizing what is happening around you或沒有意識到周遭發生了什麼事。As an adjective當形容詞用時it almost always sits in front of a noun它幾乎都放在名詞前面and describes a person who is part of a situation without knowing it形容一個人身在其中卻不自知：'the unknowing victim of a scam'「不知情的詐騙受害者」、'an unknowing accomplice'「不知情的共犯」、'unknowing participants in the study'「不知情的研究參與者」。

The key idea is innocence through ignorance — the person really is involved, but they cannot be blamed, because nobody told them. Because of that, the word is at home in writing about crime, tricks, research, and medicine: someone who carried a bag for a stranger, someone whose photo was used in an advert, someone who passed on a disease.

The key idea關鍵概念is innocence through ignorance是「因為不知道而無辜」——the person really is involved這個人確實牽涉在其中，but they cannot be blamed但不能怪他，because nobody told them因為沒人告訴過他。Because of that正因如此，the word這個字is at home in writing about crime, tricks, research, and medicine常出現在犯罪、詐術、研究和醫學相關的寫作裡：someone who carried a bag for a stranger幫陌生人提過包的人、someone whose photo was used in an advert照片被拿去登廣告的人、someone who passed on a disease把疾病傳給別人的人。

It is a slightly formal, written word. In speech you are much more likely to hear 'She had no idea' or 'without knowing it' — which is exactly what the adverb 'unknowingly' does for you (see that entry).

It is它是a slightly formal, written word一個略正式的書面用字。In speech在口語裡you are much more likely to hear你更常聽到的是'She had no idea'「她完全不知道」or 'without knowing it'或「在不知不覺中」——which is exactly what the adverb 'unknowingly' does for you這正是副詞unknowingly做的事（see that entry參見該詞條）。

There is also a noun 'unknowing', meaning the state of not knowing. It is rare and belongs to religious and philosophical writing, most famously in the medieval English book 'The Cloud of Unknowing', where not-knowing is treated as a good and necessary thing on the way to God. If your students meet the noun, it is almost certainly there, or in a writer borrowing that flavour.

There is also a noun 'unknowing'還有一個名詞unknowing，meaning the state of not knowing意思是「不知道」的狀態。It is rare它很罕見and belongs to religious and philosophical writing屬於宗教與哲學寫作，most famously最有名的是in the medieval English book 'The Cloud of Unknowing'在中世紀英文書《The Cloud of Unknowing（不知之雲）》裡，where not-knowing is treated as a good and necessary thing on the way to God「不知道」被視為通往神的路上一件好事、必要的事。If your students meet the noun如果你的學生遇到這個名詞用法，it is almost certainly there幾乎一定是在這個脈絡裡，or in a writer borrowing that flavour或是某個作家借用了那種味道。

One more shade: writers sometimes use 'unknowing' the way they would use 'innocent' or 'unsuspecting', for a mood — 'the unknowing calm of that last summer'. That is a stretch of the word, but a common and beautiful one.

One more shade再有一層意味：writers作家sometimes use 'unknowing' the way they would use 'innocent' or 'unsuspecting'有時會把unknowing當innocent或unsuspecting來用，for a mood用來營造一種氛圍——'the unknowing calm of that last summer'「那最後一個夏天渾然不覺的平靜」。That is a stretch of the word這是這個字的一種延伸用法，but a common and beautiful one不過是常見又美的一種。