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Expressing something unexpected with 竟然 (jìngrán)
HSK 5Emphasis
Structure
Subject + 竟然 + Verb Phrase
Explanation
The adverb 竟然 (jìngrán) expresses surprise that something happened contrary to expectations. It conveys a sense of disbelief or astonishment and is placed before the verb. For example, 他竟然通过了考试 means "He actually passed the exam (surprisingly)."
Examples
没想到他竟然会说五种语言。
Méi xiǎngdào tā jìngrán huì shuō wǔ zhǒng yǔyán.
I never expected that he could actually speak five languages.
这么难的题，她竟然做对了。
Zhème nán de tí, tā jìngrán zuò duì le.
Such a difficult problem, and she actually got it right.
都过了十年，他竟然还记得我的名字。
Dōu guò le shí nián, tā jìngrán hái jìde wǒ de míngzì.
Ten years have passed, and he actually still remembers my name.