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Mythic Mandarin

To everyone's surprise: 居然 and 竟然

HSK 5 Unit 2: Rather than and on the contrary · Lesson 5 of 5 · About 28 minutes

Preview version — Chinese review in progress.

Your mission: By the end of this lesson, you can express surprise at an unexpected fact with 居然 and 竟然, and follow a story full of surprises.

Warm-up: do you remember?

Two quick questions from earlier lessons. Recalling before you learn makes the new material stick.

  1. Meaning

    What does 加重 mean?

    1. not only not
    2. to make heavier, to aggravate
    3. way of life
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, to make heavier, to aggravate.

    加重 (jiāzhòng) means to make heavier, to aggravate.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “to enjoy, enjoyment”?

    1. 享受
    2. 汗水
    3. 及时
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 享受.

    “to enjoy, enjoyment” is 享受 (xiǎngshòu).

  3. Listening

    From an earlier unit. Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    景点 jǐngdiǎn

    1. place of interest, sight
    2. to believe
    3. no matter, regardless
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, place of interest, sight.

    You heard 景点 (jǐngdiǎn): place of interest, sight.

New words

  • 居然jūránunexpectedly, to one's surprise
  • 竟然jìngránunexpectedly (more written)
  • 意外yìwàiunexpected, accident
  • 惊讶jīngyàsurprised, amazed
  • 中奖zhòngjiǎngto win a prize (in a lottery)

居然 and 竟然

居然 (jūrán) and 竟然 (jìngrán) go before the verb to show surprise: something happened that you did not expect. 竟然 is a little more written.

  • 他居然忘了自己的生日。

    Tā jūrán wàng le zìjǐ de shēngrì.

    He actually forgot his own birthday.

  • 这么难的题，她竟然五分钟就做完了。

    Zhème nán de tí, tā jìngrán wǔ fēnzhōng jiù zuò wán le.

    Such a hard problem, and she finished it in just five minutes!

意外 (yìwài) is unexpected; 惊讶 (jīngyà) is amazed.

  • 大家都很惊讶。

    Dàjiā dōu hěn jīngyà.

    Everyone was amazed.

Characters

Open a character to see how it is written, stroke by stroke, with its meanings and words.

A lucky day

Zhang Wei writes about a very surprising day.

Listen first

Play the whole text and answer the questions before you open it.

Helpful words: 响 xiǎng to ring; 一等奖 yìděngjiǎng first prize; 彩票 cǎipiào lottery ticket; 没想到 méixiǎngdào didn't expect

  1. Listening

    Listen first. What happened to the alarm clock?

    1. It rang early.
    2. It broke.
    3. It didn't go off.
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, It didn't go off..

    我的闹钟居然没响.

  2. Listening

    What did the manager do?

    1. buy him a coffee
    2. criticise him
    3. send him home
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, buy him a coffee.

    反而请我喝咖啡.

  3. Listening

    How much did he win?

    1. five hundred
    2. fifty
    3. five thousand
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, five hundred.

    居然中奖了，五百块.

Show the text
Pinyin
Translation

  1. 那天Nàtiān早上zǎoshang，我wǒ的de闹钟nàozhōng居然jūrán没méi响xiǎng，我wǒ九jiǔ点diǎn才cái醒xǐng。

    That morning my alarm clock didn't go off, and I didn't wake up until nine.

  2. 我Wǒ以为yǐwéi一定yídìng会huì迟到chídào，没想到méixiǎngdào路上lùshang竟然jìngrán一点儿yìdiǎnr也yě不bù堵dǔ。

    I thought I'd definitely be late, but to my surprise there was no traffic at all.

  3. 到Dào了le公司gōngsī，经理jīnglǐ并bìng没有méiyǒu批评pīpíng我wǒ，反而fǎn'ér请qǐng我wǒ喝hē咖啡kāfēi。

    At the office, the manager didn't criticise me; instead he bought me a coffee.

  4. 原来Yuánlái，我wǒ的de报告bàogào得dé了le公司gōngsī的de一等奖yìděngjiǎng！

    It turned out my report had won the company's first prize!

  5. 晚上Wǎnshang，我wǒ买mǎi了le一yì张zhāng彩票cǎipiào，居然jūrán中奖zhòngjiǎng了le，五百wǔbǎi块kuài！

    In the evening I bought a lottery ticket and actually won: five hundred kuai!

  6. 我Wǒ太tài惊讶jīngyà了le。这Zhè真是zhēnshi意外yìwài的de一yì天tiān。

    I was amazed. It was a truly unexpected day.

Speak: listen, record, compare

Listen to each model, record yourself, then play both and compare: the rhythm, the tones, the vowels. No automatic score: your ear is the judge.

  • 我太惊讶了。这真是意外的一天。

    Wǒ tài jīngyà le. Zhè zhēnshi yìwài de yì tiān.

    I was amazed. It was a truly unexpected day.

  • 晚上，我买了一张彩票，居然中奖了，五百块！

    Wǎnshang, wǒ mǎi le yì zhāng cǎipiào, jūrán zhòngjiǎng le, wǔbǎi kuài!

    In the evening I bought a lottery ticket and actually won: five hundred kuai!

  • 那天早上，我的闹钟居然没响，我九点才醒。

    Nàtiān zǎoshang, wǒ de nàozhōng jūrán méi xiǎng, wǒ jiǔ diǎn cái xǐng.

    That morning my alarm clock didn't go off, and I didn't wake up until nine.

Practice

  1. Meaning

    What does 居然 mean?

    1. to come in
    2. short (in length)
    3. unexpectedly, to one's surprise
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, unexpectedly, to one's surprise.

    居然 (jūrán) means unexpectedly, to one's surprise.

  2. Characters

    Which word means “unexpectedly (more written)”?

    1. 偏见
    2. 竟然
    3. 印象
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, 竟然.

    “unexpectedly (more written)” is 竟然 (jìngrán).

  3. Pinyin

    How do you read 意外 (unexpected, accident)?

    1. yìwài
    2. yìwāi
    3. yíwài
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, yìwài.

    意外 is read yìwài. Check the tone mark on every syllable.

  4. Listening

    Listen. What does the word mean?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    惊讶 jīngyà

    1. muscle
    2. surprised, amazed
    3. to be responsible for
    Show the answer

    Answer: B, surprised, amazed.

    You heard 惊讶 (jīngyà): surprised, amazed.

  5. Your turn

    Recall: type the Chinese for “to win a prize (in a lottery)” (characters or pinyin).

    Show the answer

    Answer: 中奖

    “to win a prize (in a lottery)” is 中奖 (zhòngjiǎng).

  6. Listening

    Listen. Which sentence did you hear?

    Cannot listen? Read it instead

    到了公司，经理并没有批评我，反而请我喝咖啡。 Dào le gōngsī, jīnglǐ bìng méiyǒu pīpíng wǒ, fǎn'ér qǐng wǒ hē kāfēi.

    1. I was amazed. It was a truly unexpected day.
    2. I thought I'd definitely be late, but to my surprise there was no traffic at all.
    3. At the office, the manager didn't criticise me; instead he bought me a coffee.
    Show the answer

    Answer: C, At the office, the manager didn't criticise me; instead he bought me a coffee..

    You heard 到了公司，经理并没有批评我，反而请我喝咖啡。 (Dào le gōngsī, jīnglǐ bìng méiyǒu pīpíng wǒ, fǎn'ér qǐng wǒ hē kāfēi.): At the office, the manager didn't criticise me; instead he bought me a coffee.

  7. Reading

    Read: 他学了三个月汉语，居然能用汉语开会了，老师都很惊讶。 Why is the teacher amazed?

    1. After three months he can hold meetings in Chinese.
    2. After three months he gave up Chinese.
    3. After three months he failed his Chinese exam.
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, After three months he can hold meetings in Chinese..

    居然能用汉语开会了.

  8. Grammar

    Which sentence shows surprise?

    1. 他居然来了。
    2. 他来居然了。
    3. 居然了他来。
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 他居然来了。.

    他居然来了。: 居然 before the verb: to my surprise he came.

  9. In context

    You can't believe your friend won the lottery. What do you say?

    1. 你竟然中奖了！
    2. 你并非中奖了！
    3. 你反而中奖了！
    Show the answer

    Answer: A, 你竟然中奖了！.

    你竟然中奖了！: 竟然: to my surprise.

  10. Your turn

    Type the Chinese for to win a prize

    Show the answer

    Answer: 中奖

    中奖: to win a prize.

A surprising day

Tell the story of a day full of surprises, out loud, in eight sentences. Record it.

  1. What you expected, with 以为.
  2. What happened instead, with 居然, 竟然 and 反而.
  3. A wrong assumption, with 并没有.
  4. How you felt.

Sentence frames

  • 我以为＿＿，没想到居然＿＿。

    Wǒ yǐwéi ＿＿, méixiǎngdào jūrán ＿＿.

    I thought ..., but to my surprise ...

Record your attempt (three and a half minutes at most) and listen back:

Review and finish

Can you do this? If a line feels shaky, go back to that part before you move on.

  • I express surprise with 居然 and 竟然.
  • I can tell a story with surprises and contrasts.

Review works best spaced out: answer these exercises again tomorrow, then after a few days. Your progress is saved in this browser.

Completing records that you finished the lesson. Mastery is separate: it grows as reviews bring the exercises back and you answer them correctly.

Next: HSK 5 Unit 3: Written Chinese, where you learn the connectors of formal writing.