Chinese word

竟

Pronunciation

Pinyinjìng

Meaning

  • adverbunexpectedly

Example

我竟赢了比赛。wǒ jìng yíng le bǐ sài

I unexpectedly won the match.

Illustration for 竟 (unexpectedly)

More examples

他竟然没来上课。tā jìng rán méi lái shàng kè

He unexpectedly did not come to class.

Core concept

An outcome reaches reality despite the speaker's expectation, often with a clear sense of surprise.

Common phrases

  • 竟然jìng rán

    to one's surprise

  • 竟然没想到jìng rán méi xiǎng dào

    never would have thought

Similar words

竟然jìng rán: Unexpectedly, something actually happens in a way that surprises the speaker.
居然jū rán: Surprisingly, an unexpected result occurs, making the speaker's astonishment clear.
甚至shèn zhì: Even an extreme case is included to stress the surprising extent of a situation.

Definition in Chinese

用来表示说话人对已发生事实的意外感或惊讶语气，表示与预期不符的结果或情况，属于副词用法。yòng lái biǎo shì shuō huà rén duì yǐ fā shēng shì shí de yì wài gǎn huò jīng yà yǔ qì biǎo shì yǔ yù qī bù fú de jié guǒ huò qíng kuàng shǔ yú fù cí yòng fǎ

Word origin

竟 (jìng, "unexpectedly") originally expressed reaching an end or completion, and its adverbial use marks a completed result that turns out surprising.

Usage tips

  • In everyday speech, 竟 (jìng, "unexpectedly") can make a statement sound admiring, doubtful, or mildly critical, so its tone depends strongly on the surrounding context.

Other meanings

  • evenadverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word