竟然 / 居然jìngrán / jūrán

Adverbs 竟然 / 居然 (jìngrán / jūrán): Unexpectedly / Against all expectations

Meaning: Unexpectedly, contrary to expectations

Pattern

At HSK 5, 竟然 and 居然 are studied in direct contrast with 果然: both 竟然 and 居然 express that something happened AGAINST expectations or common sense ("unexpectedly / to one's surprise"), whether positive (他平时不努力，这次考试竟然得了满分！) or negative (这么简单的题，他居然做错了).
In contrast, 果然 means something happened JUST AS expected.
Syntactically, 竟然 and 居然 usually stand after the subject and before the verb/adjective (never *竟然他来了 when 他 is the topic-subject of the clause).

1
他平时不努力，这次考试竟然得了满分！
Tā píngshí bù nǔlì, zhè cì kǎoshì jìngrán dé le mǎnfēn!
He usually doesn't work hard, yet he unexpectedly got a perfect score on this exam!
2
我打了十几个电话，他居然都不接。
Wǒ dǎ le shí jǐ gè diànhuà, tā jūrán dōu bù jiē.
I made more than ten phone calls, and he actually didn't answer a single one.
3
这么简单的题，他居然做错了。
Zhème jiǎndān de tí, tā jūrán zuò cuò le.
Such a simple question, and he unexpectedly got it wrong.

•竟然/居然 mean "contrary to expectations" (opposite of 果然 "as expected") and stand after the subject.

⚠️ Common Mistakes:

•Confusing 竟然/居然 (against expectations) with 果然 (just as expected).

•Placing 竟然 before the subject (*竟然他来了 instead of 他竟然来了).

Combine Vocabulary, Grammar, Reading Practice, Listening, Hanzi Writing, and Mock Exams at HSK 5 to master all skills together.