About
The character "竟" originally conveyed the concrete meaning of a musical performance coming to an end, a sense derived from its composition which combines the element for "sound" or "music" (音) with a component representing a person (儿, in its older form), suggesting the conclusion of an act. From this literal sense of completion or reaching an end point, its meaning broadened into a more general verb meaning "to finish" or "to complete". This foundational notion of finality then provided the logical bridge for its adoption as an adverb, where it expresses a sense of something occurring contrary to expectation or reaching a conclusive state, hence its common modern translations as "unexpectedly", "actually", or "in the end". Throughout its history, the character's written form has remained largely stable, with its traditional structure being preserved without significant graphical simplification.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
小男孩竟哭了。
你竟不知道这个故事？
我竟在这里遇到你。
他们竟完成了所有任务。
这场雨竟下了整整一天。
他竟敢在会议上反驳老板。
我们竟在这么短的时间内取得了成功。
尽管条件艰苦，他们竟坚持到了最后。