谁料 (shuí liào) — who could have known, unexpectedly (used to introduce an unexpected turn of events)

Definition

A literary conjunction-like expression meaning 'who could have known' / 'unexpectedly' — used to introduce a surprising turn. Similar to 竟然, but 谁料 foregrounds the speaker's own surprise before revealing the twist.

verb
who could have knownunexpectedly (used to introduce an unexpected turn of events)

Examples

  • ，谁料。
    Wǒ men jì huà le bàn nián, shuí liào zuì hòu méi néng chéng xíng.
    We planned for half a year, but who could have known that we wouldn't make the trip in the end.
  • 谁料，。
    shuí liào Tā tū rán jué dìng cí zhí, dà jiā dōu chī le yì jīng.
    Who could have known that he suddenly decided to resign — everyone was shocked.
  • ，谁料。
    Tā yì zhí hěn jiàn kāng, shuí liào zhè cì jìng rán zhù le yuàn.
    He had always been healthy, but who could have known that this time he would end up in the hospital.

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.

谁shuíwho
料liàoexpect

who could expect it, introducing an unexpected turn.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 誰; 谁 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yánspeak
Sound part声符shēngfú
隹
隹zhuī誰shuí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The form 誰 pairs 言 (speak) with 隹, which supplies the sound; this shape is described for 誰, not 谁.

Open 谁 →

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 →

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