Chinese word

哪知道

Pronunciation

Pinyinnǎ zhī dào

Meaning

  • conjunctionlittle did I know

Example

我以为一切都好，哪知道出了问题。wǒ yǐ wéi yí qiè dōu hǎo nǎ zhī dào chū le wèn tí

I thought everything was fine, but little did I know that a problem had come up.

Illustration for 哪知道 (little did I know)

More examples

我去找他，哪知道已经走了。wǒ qù zhǎo tā nǎ zhī dào yǐ jīng zǒu le

I went to look for him, but little did I know that he had already left.

Core concept

The speaker moves from what seemed likely to what actually happens, with a sudden turn in the story.

Common phrases

  • 哪知道临时有事nǎ zhī dào lín shí yǒu shì

    little did I know that something had come up at the last minute

  • 哪知道已经走了nǎ zhī dào yǐ jīng zǒu le

    Little did I know that they had already left

Similar words

没想到méi xiǎng dào: Signals surprise when the actual result is different from what was expected.
谁知道shuí zhī dào: Signals surprise or resignation when an unforeseen result appears.
谁知shuí zhī: Signals an unexpected change in events in a somewhat literary style.

Definition in Chinese

表示说话人引出出乎意料的转折事实，多用于口语，用法相当于“结果却……”或“但是却……”的非正式连词。biǎo shì shuō huà rén yǐn chū chū hū yì liào de zhuǎn zhé shì shí duō yòng yú kóu yǔ yòng fǎ xiàng dāng yú jié guǒ què huò dàn shì què de fēi zhèng shì lián cí

Word origin

哪 (nǎ, "how") combined with 知道 (zhīdào, "know") first asks how something could be known, then comes to introduce a result that the speaker did not expect.

Usage tips

  • Its natural position is right after an expectation or plan, making the change in direction sound immediate and conversational rather than formal.

Word lists with this word