Chinese word

居然

Pronunciation

Pinyinjū rán

Meaning

  • adverbunexpectedly

Example

他居然通过了考试。tā jū rán tōng guò le kǎo shì

He unexpectedly passed the exam.

Illustration for 居然 (unexpectedly)

More examples

这么简单的题，他居然答错了。zhè me jiǎn dān de tí tā jū rán dá cuò le

He unexpectedly answered such a simple question incorrectly.

Core concept

A result falls outside the speaker's expectations or sense of what normally makes sense.

Common phrases

  • 居然答错了jū rán dá cuò le

    unexpectedly got the answer wrong

Similar words

竟然jìng rán: Expresses disbelief or amazement that an unexpected event really happened.
反而fǎn ér: Highlights an unexpected result or action that turns out contrary to the usual course.

Definition in Chinese

表示说话人对与预期或常理不符的事实感到惊讶或不信，常置于主语之后、谓语之前，用以强调出人意料的结果或行为。biǎo shì shuō huà rén duì yǔ yù qī huò cháng lǐ bù fú de shì shí gǎn dào jīng yà huò bú xìn cháng zhì yú zhú yǔ zhī hòu wèi yǔ zhī qián yòng yǐ qiáng diào chū rén yì liào de jié guǒ huò xíng wéi

Word origin

居 (jū, "to be or remain") + 然 (rán, "so or thus") presents a state as being so, and the combination later serves as an adverb for a surprising fact.

Usage tips

  • The word often adds the speaker's reaction to an event, so the same statement can sound admiring, doubtful, or critical depending on the surrounding tone.

Opposites

Word lists with this word