Dictionary › 不料

不料

bù liào

Old HSK 6 HSK 3.0 level 6 2-character word

不料 (bù liào) means "unexpectedly". It is an HSK 3.0 level 6 word, and was HSK 6 in the old six-level list.

What 不料 means

1. unexpectedly
2. to one's surprise

How 不料 is used in grammar

不料 is a grammar word. Each link goes to its own section: what it does in that pattern, the structure, three example sentences with pinyin, and the mistake to avoid.

• Advanced Conjunctions: 而, 同, 与, 不料, 可, 若 (HSK 6)

The official HSK 3.0 grammar outline lists it at level 6, conjunctions (连接分句或句子).

The characters in 不料

• 不bùno; not so; (bound form) not; un-
• 料liàomaterial; stuff; grain

Sounds the same

Read bù liào, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 布料fabric; cloth; material (for making clothing, curtains etc)

Where 不料 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of HSK 6 Vocabulary · bù (HSK 6), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 6 word, with the rest of its level.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read bù liào correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.