不料 (bù liào) — (conjunction) unexpectedly; to one's surprise
Definition
A formal conjunction meaning 'unexpectedly' that connects two clauses to show the second contradicts what the first led you to expect. Unlike the adverb 竟然/居然 (which modify a verb inside one clause), 不料 links whole clauses together.
conjunction
unexpectedlyto one's surprise
Examples
- ，不料。Tā jīn tiān běn lái yào lái de, bù liào lín shí yǒu shì.He was supposed to come today, but unexpectedly something came up.
- ，不料。Wǒ men yǐ wéi kǎo shì hěn jiǎn dān, bù liào tí mù fēi cháng nán.We thought the exam would be easy, but to our surprise the questions were very hard.
- ，不料。Tā dǎ suàn cí zhí, bù liào lǎo bǎn xiān bǎ tā kāi chú le.She planned to resign, but unexpectedly the boss fired her first.
Appears in
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