Remembering those days when I was just wasting time at technical school, it was an early summer afternoon. The classroom air conditioner hadn't been turned on yet, and the smell of kimchi jars filled the air. I had just finished eating beef noodle soup and jianbing guozi. As I drifted in and out of consciousness, I listened to the teacher explaining what “intentionally” means.

In criminal law, besides results and conduct, there's also something called intent (mens rea). This concept can be discussed for three days and three nights, but here’s a brief overview—just for fun, everyone!

This “intent” can be divided into intentional and negligent, and further distinguished based on foreseeability, will, and degree of negligence:
- Intentional: This is easy to understand—it's deliberate. Knowing that your actions will or might cause harm to society, and wishing or deliberately aiming for that result.
- Indirect intent: Knowing that your actions might cause harm to society, but tolerating or ignoring the occurrence of the result. Not aiming for it, but not actively preventing it either.
- Negligence: “Did not want it to happen, or thought it could be avoided.”
- Recognized negligence: Foreseeing that harm might occur but overestimating your ability, blindly confident, believing you can avoid it, and then harm occurs after you act.
- Unrecognized negligence: According to common sense and reason, the harm should have been foreseen, but due to negligence or carelessness, it was not foreseen, leading to harm.

From an exam perspective, generally, the hardest to distinguish are 【Indirect Intent】 and 【Recognized Negligence】. Why?
Because the perpetrator foresees that harm might occur; the difference lies entirely in the mental attitude—how does the person actually treat this (possible) outcome?

Here are a few examples:
a. A bandit robs and then flees by car, with police chasing behind. In front is a busy city area with dense crowds.
The bandit thinks: “Whether or not there are people ahead, I can't stop. If I hit someone, it's their bad luck.” Then he floors the accelerator and hits a pedestrian.
He foresees the possibility of hitting someone but tolerates this outcome in order to escape. This is indirect intent.

b. A knife-throwing expert performs a trick, aiming at an apple on his assistant’s head.
The expert thinks: “Although there’s a risk, I’ve practiced for thirty years and never missed. This time, I’ll definitely hit the apple, and I won’t hit the person.” But his hand trembles and h