HSK 6
不料
bùliào
who would have thought
Structure
Outcome A, 不料 + Unexpected Outcome B
How it works
不料 is an HSK 6 conjunction used to indicate that something happened unexpectedly or contrary to what was anticipated. It is typically used to introduce a clause that describes a surprising turn of events, often with a negative or neutral connotation.
Examples
我本想出门散步，不料天突然下起大雨了。
Wǒ běn xiǎng chūmén sànbù, bùliào tiān tūrán xià qǐ dàyǔ le.
I originally wanted to go out for a walk, but unexpectedly it started raining heavily.
他以为这次考试能及格，不料还是没通过。
Tā yǐwéi zhè cì kǎoshì néng jígé, bùliào háishì méi tōngguò.
He thought he would pass the exam this time, but surprisingly he still failed.
我本来要去找他，不料他先来我家了。
Wǒ běnlái yào qù zhǎo tā, bùliào tā xiān lái wǒjiā le.
I was going to look for him, but unexpectedly he came to my house first.
Common mistakes
Mixing up '不料' with '没想到'. While similar, '不料' is more formal and typically acts as a conjunction connecting two clauses, whereas '没想到' can be used more flexibly as a verb phrase.
Tip
Look for words like '本想' (originally thought) or '以为' (assumed) in the first clause; they often set the stage for '不料' in the second clause.
More HSK 6 grammar
See 不料 in real Chinese
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