始料未及 (shǐ liào wèi jí) — unexpected beyond what one could have anticipated; unforeseen

Definition

A formal chengyu meaning 'unforeseen / beyond what one could have anticipated', used for surprising outcomes (accidents, results). Stronger and more literary than the simpler 出乎意料.

idiom
unexpected beyond what one could have anticipatedunforeseen

Examples

  • 始料未及。
    Zhè cì shì gù de hòu guǒ zhēn shì shǐ liào wèi jí.
    The consequences of this accident were truly unforeseen.
  • 始料未及。
    Bǐ sài de jié jú wán quán shǐ liào wèi jí.
    The outcome of the match was completely unexpected.
  • ，始料未及。
    Shì qing de fā zhǎn chū hū yì liào, shí zài shǐ liào wèi jí.
    The way things developed was beyond expectation, truly unforeseen.

Origin

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 shape 未 shows a tree with extra branches spreading above its trunk, like lush, overlapping limbs.

Open 未 →

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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