Tomyo
ruen

How to use 居然 (jūrán) and 反而 (fǎn'ér) in Chinese

居然 (jūrán): unexpectedly (surprise) / 反而 (fǎn'ér): on the contrary

居然 (jū rán) vs 反而 (fǎn ér) — unexpected vs on the contrary

HSK 6Adverbs

Rule structure

居然 (jūrán) expresses surprise that something happened contrary to expectation. 反而 (fǎn'ér) expresses that the result is the opposite of what was expected.

Examples

他居然迟到了。 / 帮忙反而添了乱。

Tā jūrán chídào le. / Bāngmáng fǎn'ér tiān le luàn.

He was unexpectedly late. / Helping actually made things worse.

Practice

Build the sentence

Drag the characters to put them in the correct order

Characters

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “unexpected vs on the contrary” in Chinese with 居然 vs 反而?

Use the structure: 居然 (jūrán): unexpectedly (surprise) / 反而 (fǎn'ér): on the contrary. For example: 他居然迟到了。 / 帮忙反而添了乱。 — “He was unexpectedly late. / Helping actually made things worse.”.

What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?

他居然迟到了。 / 帮忙反而添了乱。 — “He was unexpectedly late. / Helping actually made things worse.”.

Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?

This grammar rule is part of HSK 6.

Tomyo

Learn Chinese grammar with smart reviews

Grammar explanations, exercises and spaced repetition — all in one app.

Download the app

More HSK 6 grammar rules

无非 — nothing but

无非 (wúfēi) + Noun / Clause (dismissive)

凡是 — all, every

凡是 (fánshì) + Noun Phrase, 都 (dōu) + Verb

恢复 vs 还原 — restore vs return to original

恢复 (huīfù): restore (state, function) / 还原 (huányuán): restore to original state

再…也 — no matter how

再 (zài) + Adj., 也 (yě) + Result

何必 — why bother

何必 (hébì) + Verb Phrase (rhetorical, unnecessary)

不断 vs 不停 — continuous vs nonstop

不断 (bùduàn) + Verb (continuous, unceasing) / 不停 (bùtíng) + Verb (incessant, nonstop)

按照 vs 根据 — according to vs based on

按照 (ànzhào) + Rule / Standard (follow) / 根据 (gēnjù) + Basis / Source (based on)

一时 vs 一度 — temporary vs once

一时 (yìshí): temporary (moment) / 一度 (yídù): once (period in past)