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出乎意料 (chū hū yì liào) — unexpected, beyond expectation, against expectation

Definition

An idiom for something that happens ‘against expectation’ — used to flag a surprising turn, like an adjective or adverb (‘surprisingly…’). Read as a set phrase, not verb + object.

verb
unexpectedbeyond expectationagainst expectation

Examples

  • 出乎意料。
    Zhè ge jié guǒ zhēn lìng wǒ chū hū yì liào.
    This result really caught me by surprise.
  • 出乎意料，。
    chū hū yì liào De shì, tā jū rán méi chí dào.
    Unexpectedly, he actually wasn't late.
  • 出乎意料。
    Shì qing de fā zhǎn wán quán chū hū yì liào.
    The development of events was completely unexpected.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

出乎go beyond
出chūgo out乎hūto
意料expectation
意yìthought料liàoestimate
联合Coordinate

出乎 conveys going beyond, and 意料 conveys expectation, giving the sense of being unexpected.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

出 combines 止 (foot) and 凵 (cave) to show a foot stepping out of a cave.

Open 出 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 丂丂kǎobranch

The old 乎 paired an element for wind or air with 丂, a branch used as a sound part, and was the original form of the word for 'to call; to cry'.

Open 乎 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 意 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

料 combines 米 (rice) with 斗 (a dipper), showing rice being measured or gauged.

Open 料 →
Appears in
Abstract ConceptsIdioms & Set Phrases

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