出人意料 (chū rén yì liào) — unexpected, surprising
Definition
A formal, written phrase meaning 'unexpected / surprising', describing something that goes beyond what people predicted. Stronger and more literary than 突然, and more neutral than 喜出望外 (which implies delighted surprise).
phrase
unexpectedsurprising
Examples
- 出人意料。Zhè ge jié guǒ zhēn shì chū rén yì liào.This result is really unexpected.
- 出人意料。Tā chū rén yì liào dì jù jué le nà fèn gōng zuò.He unexpectedly turned down that job.
- ,出人意料。Shuí yě méi xiǎng dào, zhè cì bǐ sài chū rén yì liào dì yíng le.No one expected that we would unexpectedly win this competition.
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