Chinese phrase
没想到事情越闹越大 méi xiǎng dào shì qíng yuè nào yuè dà
Meaning
I never expected things to get so out of hand
When to use it
This phrase shows a problem growing beyond control. It often expresses surprise when a minor issue becomes much bigger than expected.
Example dialogue
这本来只是同事之间的一个小误会，没想到事情越闹越大，连主任都知道了。 zhè běn lái zhǐ shì tóng shì zhī jiān de yí gè xiǎo wù huì méi xiǎng dào shì qíng yuè nào yuè dà lián zhǔ rèn dōu zhī dào le
A small dispute grew until the supervisor heard.
后来主任还专门找他们谈了谈。 hòu lái zhǔ rèn hái zhuān mén zhǎo tā men tán le tán
The supervisor later spoke with them.