竟然 / 居然 jìngrán / jūrán

竟然 / 居然（jìngrán / jūrán）means “unexpectedly; to one's surprise”. "竟然" and "居然" are adverbs expressing that something is surprising or unexpected, meaning "unexpectedly / to one's surprise". Formation: 竟然 / 居然 + V/小句

unexpectedly; to one's surprise

HSK5

Formation

竟然 / 居然 + V/小句

Explanation

"竟然" and "居然" are adverbs expressing that something is surprising or unexpected, meaning "unexpectedly / to one's surprise". They go before the verb to show the speaker finds the fact hard to believe. The two are almost interchangeable; "居然" is a touch more colloquial and emphatic.

Examples

这么难的题，他竟然答对了。
zhème nán de tí, tā jìngrán dá duì le.
Such a hard question, and yet he actually got it right.
我没想到他居然把这件事忘了。
wǒ méi xiǎngdào tā jūrán bǎ zhè jiàn shì wàng le.
I didn't expect that he would actually forget about this.

Note

Both express surprise and go before the verb. "居然" is slightly stronger and more colloquial than "竟然".

FAQ

竟然 / 居然 — what does it mean and how is it used?

unexpectedly; to one's surprise. "竟然" and "居然" are adverbs expressing that something is surprising or unexpected, meaning "unexpectedly / to one's surprise". They go before the verb to show the speaker finds the fact hard to believe. The two are almost interchangeable; "居然" is a touch more colloquial and emphatic.

竟然 / 居然 — how do you form it?

竟然 / 居然 + V/小句

竟然 / 居然 — any usage notes?

Both express surprise and go before the verb. "居然" is slightly stronger and more colloquial than "竟然".

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