Meaning of 竟然
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- unexpectedly
- to one's surprise
- in spite of everything
- in that crazy way
- actually
- to go as far as to
How to use 竟然
竟然 goes before the verb or adjective to show the speaker is surprised that something happened, often something unexpected or even unreasonable. Example: 他竟然忘了我的生日。(Tā jìngrán wàng le wǒ de shēngrì.) He actually forgot my birthday.
竟 (jìng) can mean "in the end," and 然 (rán) means "so" or "like this." Picture someone saying "in the end it turned out like this" with a surprised face, and you have 竟然.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 竟然 with 突然 (tūrán) or 忽然 (hūrán). Those mean "suddenly" and describe speed, while 竟然 expresses surprise that something happened at all. Also, 竟然 cannot start a sentence before the subject, so say 他竟然来了, not 竟然他来了.
竟然 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.
竟 jìng · unexpectedly · 11 strokes
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然 rán · certainly · 12 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 竟然.
| 然后 | ránhòu | then; after that; afterwards |
| 虽然 | suīrán | although; even though (often used correlatively with 可是[ke3 shi4] or 但是[dan4 shi4] etc) |
| 大自然 | dàzìrán | nature (the natural world) |
| 忽然 | hūrán | suddenly; all of a sudden |
| 当然 | dāngrán | only natural; as it should be |
| 突然 | tūrán | sudden; abrupt; unexpected |
| 仍然 | réngrán | still; as before; yet |
| 显然 | xiǎnrán | clearly; evidently; obviously |
| 自然 | zìrán | nature; natural |
| 果然 | guǒrán | really; sure enough |
| 必然 | bìrán | inevitable; certain |
| 不然 | bùrán | not so; no |
Questions about 竟然
What does 竟然 mean?
竟然 (jìngrán) means "unexpectedly; to one's surprise" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 竟然?
竟然 is made of 2 characters: 竟 (11 strokes), 然 (12 strokes). That is 23 strokes in total.
Is 竟然 an HSK word?
Yes. 竟然 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 竟然 and 居然?
They are very close and often interchangeable. 居然 (jūrán) is slightly more common in casual speech, and 竟然 can sound a little stronger or more written. Both go before the verb.
Is 竟然 positive or negative?
It is neutral and only marks surprise. It works for good news, as in 他竟然考了第一 (he actually came first), and for bad news, as in 他竟然迟到了 (he was actually late). Tone of voice and context decide the feeling.