About

The idiom **出人意料** (chū rén yì liào) is formed through a logical, verb-phrase structure where **出** (to go beyond) acts as the predicate, and **人意料** (human expectation/anticipation) serves as the object. Literally meaning "to go beyond people's expectations," it functions as a fixed four-character expression where the components combine to create a single adjectival or adverbial meaning: "unexpected" or "surprising." This formation exemplifies a common pattern in Chinese where a concise, vivid phrase is lexicalized to convey a complex idea, with its meaning being more than just the sum of its parts.

Word Definition - 出人意料

chū rén yì liào unexpected (idiom); surprising