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意想不到 (yì xiǎng-bú dào) — unexpected, unthinkable, beyond expectation

Definition

Used to describe something that goes beyond what one could have imagined. Stronger than 意外 (a surprise) and more literary than 突然; 不可思议 is even stronger, suggesting disbelief.

phrase
unexpectedunthinkablebeyond expectation

Examples

  • 意想不到。
    yì xiǎng-bú dào De shì qing fā shēng le.
    An unexpected thing happened.
  • 意想不到。
    Tā gěi wǒ dài lái le yí gè yì xiǎng-bú dào de jīng xǐ.
    He brought me an unexpected surprise.
  • 意想不到。
    Zhè ge jié guǒ zhēn shì yì xiǎng-bú dào.
    This result is truly unexpected.

Origin

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 意 →

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Idioms & Set Phrases

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