不足为怪 (bù zú wéi guài) — not at all surprising; no wonder

Definition

A set phrase meaning 'not at all surprising' — used to dismiss something as entirely expected given the circumstances. It is more formal and literary than the everyday expression 难怪.

verb
not at all surprisingno wonder

Examples

  • ，不足为怪。
    Tā píng shí bù xué xí, kǎo shì bù jí gé yě bù zú wéi guài.
    He doesn't study normally, so it's not at all surprising that he failed the exam.
  • ，不足为怪。
    Zhè zhǒng cuò wù hěn cháng jiàn, bù zú wéi guài.
    This kind of mistake is very common, so it's no wonder.
  • ，不足为怪。
    Tā cóng xiǎo jiù xǐ huan huà huà, chéng wéi huà jiā bù zú wéi guài.
    She has loved painting since childhood, so it's not surprising that she became a painter.

Origin

Characters in this word

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 →

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

足 was originally drawn as a leg.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 為; 为 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 為 showed a hand holding an elephant; the simplified 为 is a later shorthand.

Open 为 →

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
忄Written in full as心xīn
Sound part声符shēngfú
圣
圣shèng怪guài
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

怪 is built from 忄, a form of 心, which relates to mind or feeling, and 圣, which gives the sound.

Open 怪 →

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