每天成语
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突如其来

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: tū rú qí lái
  • English Translation: To happen out of the blue (sudden and unexpected)
  • Idiom Composition: 「突」（Suddenly or abruptly）＋「如」（Like or as if）＋「其」（Its or that (referring to the event)）＋「来」（To come or arrive）
  • Meaning: Describes an event that occurs suddenly and without any warning, catching people completely off guard. It emphasizes the abruptness of the situation and the lack of preparation for it.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「突如其来」 contains the following nuances:

  • Unpredictability: The idiom refers to things happening at a time that could not have been foreseen. It is never used for planned events or things that happen gradually.
  • External Arrival: As indicated by the character 来 (lái), the image is of something external descending upon a person or situation, rather than an internal, slow-growing change.

3. Usage

「突如其来」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Disasters and Accidents: Used to describe negative events beyond human control, such as earthquakes, storms, or accidents that strike without warning.
    • Example:「这场突如其来的地震摧毁了许多房屋。」
      （This sudden earthquake destroyed many houses.)
  • News and Life Changes: Used for sudden news, personnel changes, or unexpected visitors that disrupt the normal flow of life.
    • Example:「面对突如其来的变故，他一时不知所措。」
      （Faced with the unexpected change, he didn't know what to do for a moment.)
  • Emotions and Inspiration: Describes feelings like fear or joy, or even sudden ideas that surge into one's mind.
    • Example:「一种突如其来的恐惧感涌上心头。」
      （A sudden sense of fear welled up in his heart.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 突如其来的大雨打乱了我们的旅行计划。
    （The sudden heavy rain disrupted our travel plans.）
  2. 幸福总是突如其来，让人措手不及。
    （Happiness always comes out of the blue, catching people by surprise.）
  3. 对于这突如其来的好消息，大家都感到非常兴奋。
    （Everyone was extremely excited about this unexpected good news.）
  4. 一场突如其来的疫情改变了人们的生活方式。
    （A sudden pandemic changed people's way of life.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • The idiom originates from the Book of Changes (诗经), specifically the 'Li' hexagram, which described a sudden, violent arrival like fire or death. While it originally had a very ominous connotation, in modern Chinese it is used more neutrally to describe any sudden event, whether good or bad.
  • Grammatically, it most often functions as an adjective (attributive) followed by the particle 的 (de), as in 突如其来的 (tū rú qí lái de), to modify a noun.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

The idiom 突如其来 (tū rú qí lái) is used to describe events that occur with startling suddenness. Whether it is a natural disaster, a piece of news, or a sudden realization, the phrase highlights the "out of nowhere" nature of the occurrence. It is most frequently used as an adjective in the form 突如其来的 (tū rú qí lái de) to modify a noun, emphasizing that the event was not anticipated.

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Level 1Pre-Level 1

Idiom Essay

tū rú qí lái
突如其来
Out of the Blue
shēng huó生活zhōng中de的hěn duō很多shì qíng事情，dōu都zài在wǒ men我们de的yù liào预料zhī zhōng之中。

Many things in life are within our expectations.

zǎo shàng早上jǐ diǎn几点qǐ chuáng起床，zuò坐nǎ哪yī一bān chē班车，wǎn shàng晚上chī吃shén me什么，zhōu mò周末qù去nǎ lǐ哪里。

What time to get up in the morning, which bus to take, what to eat for dinner, and where to go on the weekend.

wǒ men我们xí guàn习惯tí qián提前ān pái安排，yě也xí guàn习惯gēn jù根据guò qù过去de的jīng yàn经验qù去xiǎng xiàng想象jiē xià lái接下来huì会fā shēng发生shén me什么。

We are used to planning ahead and imagining what will happen next based on past experience.

dàn但shēng huó生活bìng并bù不zǒng总huì会àn zhào按照jì huà计划jìn xíng进行。

But life does not always go according to plan.

yǒu xiē有些shì qíng事情háo wú毫无yù zhào预兆dì地chū xiàn出现，ràng让rén人yì diǎn一点zhǔn bèi准备dōu都méi yǒu没有。

Some things appear without any warning, leaving people completely unprepared.

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个chéng yǔ成语zhuān mén专门xíng róng形容zhè zhǒng这种qíng kuàng情况，jiào叫“tū rú qí lái突如其来”。

In Chinese, there is an idiom specifically used to describe this situation: “突如其来”.

“tū rú qí lái突如其来”de的yì si意思，jiù shì就是shì qíng事情tū rán突然fā shēng发生，chū hū出乎rén人de的yì liào意料。

“突如其来” means that something happens suddenly and unexpectedly.

zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语hěn很cháng jiàn常见，ér qiě而且kě yǐ可以yòng用zài在hěn很duō多chǎng jǐng场景zhōng中。

This idiom is very common and can be used in many situations.

bǐ rú比如，gāng cái刚才hái shì还是qíng kōng wàn lǐ晴空万里，zhuǎn yǎn jiān转眼间què却xià下qǐ起le了dà yǔ大雨。

For example, the sky may be clear just a moment ago, but then it suddenly starts to rain heavily.

nǐ你méi yǒu没有dài带sǎn伞，zhǐ néng只能gǎn jǐn赶紧zhǎo找dì fāng地方duǒ yǔ躲雨。

You did not bring an umbrella, so you can only quickly find somewhere to shelter from the rain.

zhè shí这时kě yǐ可以shuō说：“yī cháng一场tū rú qí lái突如其来de的dà yǔ大雨dǎ打luàn乱le了dà jiā大家de的jì huà计划。”

At this time, you can say: “A 突如其来的 heavy rain disrupted everyone’s plans.”

tā它yě也jīng cháng经常yòng lái用来xíng róng形容xiāo xī消息hé和biàn huà变化。

It is also often used to describe news and changes.

yě xǔ也许shì是yī一tōng通shēn yè深夜de的diàn huà电话，dài lái带来le了yí gè一个wán quán完全méi yǒu没有xiǎng dào想到de的xiāo xī消息；yě xǔ也许gōng sī公司tū rán突然xuān bù宣布le了yī xiàng一项zhòng dà重大tiáo zhěng调整，ràng让suǒ yǒu rén所有人dōu都cuò shǒu bù jí措手不及。

Perhaps a late-night phone call brings completely unexpected news; perhaps a company suddenly announces a major adjustment, catching everyone off guard.

shì qíng事情fā shēng发生zhī qián之前，méi yǒu没有míng xiǎn明显de的zhēng zhào征兆，suǒ yǐ所以dāng当tā它zhēn zhèng真正dào lái到来shí时，rén men人们wǎng wǎng往往xū yào需要yì diǎn一点shí jiān时间cái néng才能fǎn yìng反应guò lái过来。

Before something happens, there may be no obvious sign, so when it actually arrives, people often need some time to react.

bù guò不过，“tū rú qí lái突如其来”bìng并bù不zhǐ只yòng yú用于huài shì坏事。

However, “突如其来” is not used only for bad things.

nǐ你kě néng可能zài在yì guó异国jiē tóu街头ǒu rán偶然yù jiàn遇见duō nián多年wèi未jiàn见de的lǎo péng yǒu老朋友，yě也kě néng可能zài在yí gè一个pǔ tōng普通de的rì zi日子lǐ里shōu dào收到qī dài期待yǐ已jiǔ久de的hǎo好xiāo xī消息。

You may unexpectedly meet an old friend you have not seen for years on a street in a foreign country, or receive long-awaited good news on an ordinary day.

zhè xiē这些yì wài意外de的xiāng yù相遇hé和jīng xǐ惊喜，tóng yàng同样kě yǐ可以“tū rú qí lái突如其来”。

Such unexpected encounters and surprises can also be “突如其来”.

yīn cǐ因此，zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语běn shēn本身bìng并méi yǒu没有míng xiǎn明显de的bāo yì褒义huò或biǎn yì贬义。

Therefore, this idiom itself has no clear positive or negative meaning.

zhēn zhèng真正zhòng yào重要de的shì是yí gè一个“tū rán突然”：shì qíng事情lái de来得tài太kuài快，chāo chū超出le了yuán lái原来de的yù liào预料。

What really matters is the sense of “suddenness”: something comes too quickly and exceeds the original expectations.

wǒ men我们xǐ huān喜欢jì huà计划，yīn wèi因为jì huà计划huì会gěi给rén人yī zhǒng一种ān xīn安心de的gǎn jué感觉。

We like making plans because they give us a sense of security.

dàn但xiàn shí现实zǒng总huì会chū xiàn出现yī xiē一些jì huà计划zhī wài之外de的shì qíng事情。

But reality always brings things that lie outside our plans.

yǒu shí hòu有时候，yī cháng一场tū rú qí lái突如其来de的biàn huà变化huì会ràng让rén人huāng luàn慌乱；yǒu shí hòu有时候，tā它yě也kě néng可能dǎ kāi打开yī tiáo一条cóng wèi从未xiǎng想guò过de的lù路。

Sometimes, a 突如其来的 change can make people panic; at other times, it may open a path they never imagined.

shēng huó生活dà gài大概jiù shì就是zhè yàng这样。

Life is probably like that.

wǒ men我们kě yǐ可以rèn zhēn认真ān pái安排wèi lái未来，què却bù不kě néng可能tí qián提前zhī dào知道suǒ yǒu所有shì qíng事情。

We can carefully plan for the future, but we cannot know everything in advance.

dāng当nà xiē那些tū rú qí lái突如其来de的shí kè时刻zhēn zhèng真正chū xiàn出现shí时，wǒ men我们néng能zuò做de的，jiù shì就是xiān先miàn duì面对tā它，zài再jué dìng决定xià yī下一bù步zěn me怎么zǒu走。

When those 突如其来的 moments truly appear, what we can do is face them first, then decide how to take the next step.

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