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想不到 (xiǎng bu dào) — unable to anticipate; to not expect; used to express surprise at something unexpected

Definition

想不到 means 'to not expect' — often an exclamation of surprise at something unexpected. It's a fixed negative phrase; don't split it as 想 + 不到, and don't confuse it with 想得到 ('can imagine').

verb
unable to anticipateto not expectused to express surprise at something unexpected

Examples

  • 想不到！
    xiǎng bu dào Nǐ huì zài zhè zhǒng dì fāng chū xiàn!
    Fancy seeing you in a place like this!
  • 想不到。
    xiǎng bu dào Tā jìng rán méi lái cān jiā zuó tiān de jù huì.
    I never thought he wouldn't come to yesterday's party.
  • 想不到。
    Zhè jiàn shì zhēn shì xiǎng bu dào.
    This matter is truly unexpected.

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
心心xīnheart, mind
Sound part声符shēngfú
相
相xiāng想xiǎng
Same sound today

想 has 心 (heart, mind) below 相 (to look at); the shape shows the mind looking at or considering something, and 相 also gives the sound.

Open 想 →

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 →

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
至至zhìto arrive
Sound part声符shēngfú
刀
刀dāo到dào
Same sound today

到 combines 至, meaning 'to arrive', with 刀 as the sound part. The 至 part points to the idea of reaching a stopping point.

Open 到 →
Appears in
Thinking & Cognition

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