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竟然

jìng rán
HSK 2.0 Level 4 HSK 3.0 Level 4 Adverb Common

Definitions

  1. 1. unexpectedly
  2. 2. to one's surprise
  3. 3. in spite of everything
  4. 4. in that crazy way
  5. 5. actually
  6. 6. to go as far as to

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Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item
果然
guǒ rán

really

‘竟然’表意外，而‘果然’表在意料之中

Synonyms

1 item
居然
jū rán

unexpectedly

两者都表示出乎意料，但‘竟然’更强调与预期完全相反，语气更强

Usage notes

Common mistakes

不能与表示确信的词语如‘一定’连用，因为‘竟然’已含意外语气。

Grammar

Guides that feature 竟然

Jump into a full guide with fill-in-the-blank drills. Clicking will load the page and move you to the top.

2 guides
HSK 2.0 Level 6+ HSK 3.0 Level 6+ 5 min
不料 for “Unexpectedly”

Use 不料 to start a second clause where things turn out differently from what you expected.

Reading: jìng rán Open guide
HSK 2.0 Level 4+ HSK 3.0 Level 4+ 6 min
竟然, 究竟 and 到底 for Surprise and “What on Earth?”

Use 竟然 for something surprising that really happened, and 究竟 or 到底 to press for the real answer in a question.

Reading: jìng rán Open guide

Example Sentences

2 shown
他 竟然 忘了我的生日。
He actually forgot my birthday.
这个新手 竟然 敢跟老师傅叫板。
This newcomer actually dares to challenge the old master.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 竟然

竟
jìng

unexpectedly

然
rán

correct