始料不及 (shǐ liào bù jí) — unexpected, unforeseen, beyond one's expectations

Definition

A formal chengyu meaning 'beyond what one expected' — used for outcomes that catch you off guard. Stronger than the everyday 没想到.

verb
unexpectedunforeseenbeyond one's expectations

Examples

  • 始料不及。
    Zhè cì kǎo shì de nán dù zhēn shì shǐ liào bù jí.
    The difficulty of this exam was truly unexpected.
  • 始料不及。
    Shì qing de fā zhǎn ràng rén shǐ liào bù jí.
    The development of events caught everyone off guard.
  • 始料不及。
    Tā cí zhí de jué dìng lìng dà jiā shǐ liào bù jí.
    His decision to resign took everyone by surprise.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

始料initial estimate
始shǐbeginning料liàoestimate
偏正Modifier + head
不及not reach
不bùnot及jíreach
偏正Modifier + head

始料 is the first estimate, and 不及 says it cannot reach what happens, giving an unforeseen sense.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
女女nǚwoman
Sound part声符shēngfú
台
台tái始shǐ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

始 is made of 女 (woman) and 台, which gives the sound.

Open 始 →

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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

及 pairs 人 (person) with 又 (hand), showing a hand grabbing a person.

Open 及 →

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