Meaning of 意想不到
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- unexpected
- previously unimagined
How to use 意想不到
It describes results, effects, or events nobody saw coming, often before 的 as an adjective or in set phrases like 意想不到的结果. Example: 这次旅行给了我很多意想不到的惊喜。(Zhè cì lǚxíng gěi le wǒ hěn duō yìxiǎng bù dào de jīngxǐ.) This trip gave me many unexpected surprises.
Break it into parts: 意想 (yìxiǎng) means to imagine, and 不到 (bù dào) means not reaching. Something 意想不到 is beyond where your imagination could reach.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 意外不到 or 意想没到, but the fixed form is 意想不到 with 不, never 没. Also keep 想 in third tone (xiǎng), not 象 (xiàng) or 像 (xiàng).
意想不到 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
意 yì · thought · 13 strokes
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想 xiǎng · to think · 13 strokes
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不 bù · no · 4 strokes
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到 dào · to reach · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 意想不到.
| 看到 | kàndào | to see |
| 找到 | zhǎodào | to find |
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint |
| 得到 | dédào | to get; to obtain; to receive |
| 是不是 | shì bu shì | is or is not (used to form yes-no questions) |
| 不用 | bùyòng | need not |
| 听到 | tīngdào | to hear |
| 回到 | huídào | to return to |
| 来到 | láidào | to arrive; to come |
| 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 |
Questions about 意想不到
What does 意想不到 mean?
意想不到 (yìxiǎng bù dào) means "unexpected; previously unimagined".
How do you write 意想不到?
意想不到 is made of 4 characters: 意 (13 strokes), 想 (13 strokes), 不 (4 strokes), 到 (8 strokes). That is 38 strokes in total.
Is 意想不到 an HSK word?
Yes. 意想不到 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 意想不到 and 意外?
意外 (yìwài) can be a noun meaning an accident, or an adjective meaning unexpected. 意想不到 is only descriptive and stresses that something went beyond what anyone imagined. You can say 发生了意外 but not 发生了意想不到 without a following noun.
Can 意想不到 be positive or negative?
It can be both. 意想不到的收获 is an unexpected gain, and 意想不到的困难 is an unexpected difficulty. The surrounding words decide the tone.