Meaning of 不料
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- unexpectedly
- to one's surprise
How to use 不料
不料 usually starts the second clause of a sentence, after you describe a plan or expectation, and it introduces the surprising result. It often carries a slightly disappointing or unlucky tone and sounds more written than spoken. Example: 我想早点出门，不料下起了大雨。(Wǒ xiǎng zǎodiǎn chūmén, bùliào xià qǐ le dà yǔ.) I wanted to leave early, but unexpectedly it started pouring rain.
不 (bù) means not, and 料 (liào) means to expect or predict. Put them together and you get "not expected," which is exactly what 不料 describes: something happened that nobody saw coming.
Common mistake: Learners often put 不料 at the very start of a story with no setup, but it needs a previous clause that sets up the expectation it breaks. Also, 不 here keeps its fourth tone because 料 is fourth tone, so it changes to bú: say búliào, not bùliào, in natural speech.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
不 bù · no · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
料 liào · material · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Related words
Words that share a character with 不料.
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 不用 | bùyòng | need not |
| 不大 | bù dà | not very (clear, far away etc); not too; not often; infrequently |
| 不对 | bùduì | incorrect; wrong |
| 不客气 | bù kèqì | you're welcome; don't mention it |
| 不要 | bùyào | don't!; must not |
| 不过 | bùguò | only; merely |
| 不错 | bùcuò | correct; right |
| 不行 | bùxíng | won't do; be out of the question |
| 不同 | bù tóng | different; distinct |
| 不好意思 | bù hǎoyìsi | to feel embarrassed; to find it embarrassing |
Questions about 不料
What does 不料 mean?
不料 (bùliào) means "unexpectedly; to one's surprise" and is used as a conjunction.
How do you write 不料?
不料 is made of 2 characters: 不 (4 strokes), 料 (10 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 不料 an HSK word?
Yes. 不料 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 不料 and 没想到?
Both mean you did not expect something. 没想到 (méi xiǎngdào) is more casual and common in speech, and it can describe good or bad surprises. 不料 is more formal and written, and it more often signals an unwelcome turn.
Can 不料 be used with 却 or 竟然?
Yes. It is common to say 不料……却…… or 不料……竟然…… to stress the surprise, as in 不料他竟然不来了 (bùliào tā jìngrán bù lái le), unexpectedly he did not come after all.