竟然 vs 居然: what is the difference?
Both express surprise and are almost the same. 竟然 is a little more common in writing, 居然 in speech: 他竟然忘了我的名字.
| Word | Pinyin | What it does | Structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 竟然 | jìngrán | Shows surprise that something happened, because nobody expected it. | subject + 竟然 + verb phrase |
| 居然 | jū rán | Shows surprise that something happened because nobody expected it, and is a little more spoken than 竟然. | Subject + 居然 + Verb phrase |
竟然 (jìngrán)
Shows surprise that something happened, because nobody expected it.
Structure: subject + 竟然 + verb phrase
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 这么难的题，他竟然做对了。 | Zhè me nán de tí, tā jìng rán zuò duì le. | He got such a hard question right, which is surprising. |
| 我竟然在这里遇到了小学同学。 | Wǒ jìng rán zài zhè lǐ yù dào le xiǎo xué tóng xué. | I ran into a primary school classmate here, of all places. |
| 他竟然没有告诉我就走了。 | Tā jìng rán méi yǒu gào su wǒ jiù zǒu le. | He actually left without telling me. |
Not: 我不知道竟然。 竟然 comes before the verb, not at the end: 我竟然不知道.
居然 (jū rán)
Shows surprise that something happened because nobody expected it, and is a little more spoken than 竟然.
Structure: Subject + 居然 + Verb phrase
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 他居然一个人爬上了那座山。 | Tā jū rán yí gè rén pá shàng le nà zuò shān. | He actually climbed that mountain by himself. |
| 这么简单的题，你居然做错了。 | Zhè me jiǎn dān de tí, nǐ jū rán zuò cuò le. | You got such an easy question wrong, of all things. |
| 我居然在这儿遇到了小学同学。 | Wǒ jū rán zài zhèr yù dào le xiǎo xué tóng xué. | I ran into a primary school classmate here, of all places. |
Not: 我知道他会来，他居然来了。 居然 needs an unexpected result. If you expected it, say 果然: 我知道他会来，他果然来了。
Where this comes from
The comparison is part of Attitude adverbs: 偏偏/偶尔/竟然/随便 (HSK 4) in the grammar reference, which has the full explanation, more worked examples, and what to learn before and after it.
More pairs: 按照 vs 根据 · 不敢 vs 不能 · 及时 vs 立刻 · 记住 vs 记得 · 渐渐 vs 逐渐 · 将近 vs 大约 · 既然 vs 因为 · 看不懂 vs 没看懂 · 了 vs 过 · 连…都 vs 连…也 · 没有 vs 不如 · 却 vs 但是 · all 81 pairs.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between 竟然 and 居然?
Both express surprise and are almost the same. 竟然 is a little more common in writing, 居然 in speech: 他竟然忘了我的名字.
GraphChinese drills each of these patterns and schedules the review that keeps it. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
Start at your true level