📖 Meaning
To be unexpected or beyond imagination; something that one did not anticipate. It describes a situation or outcome that catches a person completely by surprise, whether pleasantly or unpleasantly.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Qing dynasty novel 'Jinghua Yuan' (镜花缘) by Li Ruzhen. In the second chapter, a fairy visits a mountain on a bitterly cold, snowy day, and the host remarks that such an unexpected visit is truly beyond imagination. The phrase has since become a common expression for any surprising or unforeseen event in everyday Chinese.
💡 Example Usage
他竟然放弃了高薪工作去乡下种田，真是意想不到。
He unexpectedly gave up his high-paying job to farm in the countryside—truly beyond imagination.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 意想不到
- Pinyin: yì xiǎng bù dào
- Literal Translation: meaning, think, not, arrive
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4