Chinese word

喜出望外

Pronunciation

Pinyinxǐ chū wàng wài

Meaning

  • idiombe pleasantly surprised

Example

收到礼物，我感到喜出望外。shōu dào lǐ wù wǒ gǎn dào xǐ chū wàng wài

I felt pleasantly surprised when I received the gift.

Illustration for 喜出望外 (be pleasantly surprised)

More examples

听到中奖消息，她露出喜出望外的表情。tīng dào zhòng jiǎng xiāo xī tā lù chū xǐ chū wàng wài de biǎo qíng

After hearing the news that she had won a prize, she showed an expression of pleasant surprise.

Core concept

An unexpected good outcome sends happiness spilling beyond the limits of expectation.

Common phrases

  • 令人感到喜出望外lìng rén gǎn dào xǐ chū wàng wài

    give someone a pleasant surprise

  • 喜出望外的表情xǐ chū wàng wài de biǎo qíng

    an expression of pleasant surprise

Similar words

惊喜万分jīng xǐ wàn fēn: Feeling deeply joyful because of an unexpected good surprise.
欣喜若狂xīn xǐ ruò kuáng: Feeling so joyful and excited that the emotion becomes overwhelming.
喜不自禁xǐ bú zì jīn: Having joy spill out because it cannot be kept inside.
喜形于色xǐ xíng yú sè: Letting happiness appear clearly in the face.

Definition in Chinese

因为发生了超出期望的好事而感到很高兴。yīn wèi fā shēng le chāo chū qī wàng de hǎo shì ér gǎn dào hěn gāo xìng

Word origin

The idiom combines 喜 (xǐ, "joy") + 出 (chū, "go beyond") + 望 (wàng, "expectation") + 外 (wài, "outside") to link strong happiness with an event outside one's expectations.

Usage tips

  • The idiom presents the speaker's reaction to a welcome event, while a plain statement of surprise can describe either good or bad news.

Other meanings

  • be overjoyedidiom

Opposites

  • 大失所望dà shī suǒ wàngbe very disappointedidiom
  • 心灰意冷xīn huī yì lěnglose heartidiom

Word lists with this word