Difference between revisions of "Expressing "no wonder""

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{{Grammar Box}}  
 
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怪不得 (guàibude) can be used to express that the speaker finds something unsurprising. It can be used alone or in a variety of different structures, as shown below. 难怪 (nánguài) is another way to express the exact same thing.
  
难怪 (nánguài) can be used to express that the speaker finds something unsurprising. It can be used alone or in a variety of different structures, as shown below.  怪不得 (guàibude) is another way to express exactly the same thing, in a slightly more informal way.
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== Emphasis on 怪不得 / 难怪 ==
  
==难怪 as "it is not surprising that"==
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怪不得 is used to convey the speaker's newfound understanding of a situation, having recently acquired some new information that, in his opinion, explains it.
  
Here 难怪 is used to convey the speaker's lack of amazement at a situation, having recently acquired some new information that in his opinion explains it. It is used in much the same way as 怪不得, which can replace 难怪 in the structure without altering its meaning.
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=== Structure ===
 
 
=== Short Structure ===
 
  
 
<div class="jiegou">
 
<div class="jiegou">
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Reason ,怪不得 / 难怪 + [Observation]
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</div>
  
难怪 / 怪不得 + ([observation])
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怪不得 can be replaced with 难怪 in the structure without altering its meaning.
  
</div>
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=== Examples ===
 
 
=== Short Structure Examples ===
 
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
  
* 他 和 女朋友 分手 了,<em>难怪</em> 他 最近 一直 不 高兴。<span class="pinyin">Tā hé nǚpéngyou fēnshǒule, <em>nánguài</em> tā zuìjìn yīzhí bù gāoxìng.</span><span class="trans">He and his girlfriend broke up. No wonder he's been so unhappy recently.</span>
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*小张 请假 了,<em>怪不得</em> 今天 没有 看到 <span class="pinyin">Xiǎo Zhāng qǐngjià le, <em>guàibude</em> jīntiān méiyǒu kàndào tā.</span><span class="trans">Little Zhang asked for vacation time, no wonder I haven't seen him today.</span>
* <em>难怪</em><span class="pinyin"><em>Nánguài</em>!</span><span class="trans">No wonder!</span>
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*天天 迟到 ,<em>怪不得</em> 他 被 炒鱿鱼 了 。<span class="pinyin">Tiāntiān chídào, <em>guàibude</em> tā bèi chǎoyóuyú le.</span><span class="trans">He's late for work every day. No wonder he got fired.</span>
* 小张 请假 了,<em>难怪</em> 今天 没有 看到 他。<span class="pinyin">Xiǎo Zhāng qǐngjià le, <em>nánguài</em> jīntiān méiyǒu kàn dào tā.</span><span class="trans">Little Zhang asked for some vacation time, no wonder I haven't seen him today.</span>
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*她 是 你 妹妹 ?<em>难怪</em> 你们 长 得 这么 像 。<span class="pinyin">Tā shì nǐ mèimei? <em>Nánguài</em> nǐmen cháng de zhème xiàng.</span><span class="trans">She's your younger sister? No wonder you two look so much alike.</span>
* 老板 过年 要 发 红包 ,<em>难怪</em> 大家 最近 都 这么 开心。<span class="pinyin">Lǎobǎn guònián yào fā hóngbāo , <em>nánguài</em> dàjiā zuìjìn dōu zhème kāixīn  .</span><span class="trans"> Boss is going to giving red packets,no wonder everyone looks so happy recently.</span>
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*你 手机 没电 了 ?<em>怪不得</em> 我 打 不 通 。<span class="pinyin">Nǐ shǒujī méi diàn le? <em>Guàibude</em> wǒ dǎ bu tōng.</span><span class="trans">Your cell phone is out of power? No wonder my call wouldn't go through.</span>
* 你的 手机 丢了 ?<em>难怪</em> 你的 手机 一直 打不通。<span class="pinyin"> Nǐ de shǒujī diūle? ,<em>nánguài</em> nǐde shǒujī yīzhī dǎbùtōng .</span><span class="trans"> You cell phone is lost?No wonder I couldn't get through.</span>
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*你 放 了 醋 ?<em>难怪</em> 这么 难吃 !<span class="pinyin">Nǐ fàng le cù? <em>Nánguài</em> zhème nánchī!</span><span class="trans">You put vinegar in it? No wonder it tastes so bad!</span>
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
=== Longer Structure ===
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== Emphasis on 原来 ==
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=== Structure ===
  
 
<div class="jiegou">
 
<div class="jiegou">
 
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怪不得 / 难怪 + [Observation] ,原来 (+ 是) + Reason
难怪 / 怪不得 + [observation],原来 + [reason]
 
 
 
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
=== Longer Structure Examples ===
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=== Examples ===
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
  
* <em>难怪</em> 老板 这么 生气 ,原来 那 个 大 客户 取消 订单。<span class="pinyin"><em>Nánguài</em> lǎobǎn zhème shēngqì, yuánlái nàge dà kèhù qǔxiāo le dìngdān.</span><span class="trans">No wonder the boss is so angry. It turns out that that important customer cancelled his order.</span>
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*<em>难怪</em> 学生 都 不 喜欢 这个 老师 ,<strong>原来</strong> 他 的 作业 太 多 <span class="pinyin"><em>Nánguài</em> xuéshēng dōu bù xǐhuan zhège lǎoshī, <strong>yuánlái</strong> tā de zuòyè tài duō le.</span><span class="trans">No wonder the students don't like this teacher. He gives too much homework.</span>
* <em>难怪</em> 这里 人 这么 多,原来 在 打折。<span class="pinyin"><em>Nánguài</em> zhèlǐ rén zhème duō, yuánlái zài dǎzhé.</span><span class="trans">No wonder there are so many people here. There's a sale going on.</span>
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*<em>怪不得</em> 你们 这么 高兴 ,<strong>原来</strong> 是 要 结婚 了 。<span class="pinyin"><em>Guàibude</em> nǐmen zhème gāoxìng, <strong>yuánlái</strong> shì yào jiéhūn le.</span><span class="trans">No wonder you two look so happy. You are getting married.</span>
* <em>难怪</em> 他 天天 都 迟到,原来 他 要 自己 照顾 孩子。<span class="pinyin"><em>Nánguài</em> tā tiāntiān dōu chídào, yuánlái tā yào zìjǐ zhàogù háizi.</span><span class="trans">No wonder he's late every day. It turns out he's raising his kids by himself.</span>
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*<em>难怪</em> 这里 人 这么 多 ,<strong>原来</strong> 在 打折 。<span class="pinyin"><em>Nánguài</em> zhèlǐ rén zhème duō, <strong>yuánlái</strong> zài dǎzhé.</span><span class="trans">No wonder there are so many people here. There's a sale going on.</span>
* <em>难怪</em> 他 一直 都 不 告诉 我,原来 是 不想 让 我 担心。<span class="pinyin"><em>Nánguài</em>   yīzhí dōu méi gàosu wǒ.Yuánlái shì bùxiǎng ràng wǒ dānxīn. </span><span class="trans">No wonder he hasn't told me.It turns out that he doesn't want me to worry about this.</span>
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*<em>怪不得</em> 她 拉肚子 ,<strong>原来</strong> 她 昨天 又 吃 火锅 了 。<span class="pinyin"><em>Guàibude</em> tā lādùzi, <strong>yuánlái</strong> tā zuótiān yòu chī huǒguō le.</span><span class="trans">No wonder she got a diarrhea. She went to eat hotpot again yesterday.</span>
* <em>难怪</em> 这么 多 人 都 认识 她,原来 她爸 是 市长。<span class="pinyin"><em>Nánguài</em>       zhème duō rén dōu xiǎng rènshi tā,yuánlái tā bà shì shìzhǎng. </span><span class="trans">No wonder so many people want to meet her.It turned out that her father is the mayor.</span>
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*<em>怪不得</em> 他 没 告诉 我 ,<strong>原来</strong> 是 不 让 我 担心 。<span class="pinyin"><em>Guàibude</em> tā méi gàosu wǒ, <strong>yuánlái</strong> shì bù xiǎng ràng wǒ dānxīn.</span><span class="trans">No wonder he hasn't told me. He doesn't want me to worry about this.</span>
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
== 难怪 as "is not to be blamed" ==
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== The Other Meaning of 难怪 ==
 
 
This one is definitely less common, but sometimes 难怪 is a combination of the [[Difficult to do something|难 + Verb]] pattern and the verb 怪, meaning "to blame."  In this case, the meaning is totally different.  Although it's not as common and you shouldn't need to worry about it too much, we include it here because if you ever run into and think that 难怪 can only ever have one meaning, it can totally throw you for a loop.
 
=== Structure ===
 
 
 
<div class="jiegou">
 
 
 
(这也 +) 难怪 + [specific person/people]
 
  
</div>
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This usage is definitely less common, but sometimes 难怪 is a combination of the [[Difficult to do something|难 + Verb]] pattern and the verb 怪, meaning "to blame." In this case, the meaning is totally different.  Although it's not as common, and you shouldn't need to worry about it too much, we include it here because if you ever run into and think that 难怪 can only ever have one meaning, it can totally throw you for a loop.
  
=== Examples ===
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A few examples:
  
 
<div class="liju">
 
<div class="liju">
  
* 这也 <em>难怪</em> 他,还 是 个 孩子 呢,什么 都 不 懂。<span class="pinyin"> Zhè yě <em>nánguài</em>tā, háishì gè háizi ne, shénme dōu bù dǒng.</span><span class="trans">Don't blame him. He's just a kid. He doesn't know better.</span>
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*这 也 <em>难怪</em> 他 ,他 这么 小 。<span class="pinyin"> Zhè yě <em>nánguài</em> tā, tā zhème xiǎo.</span><span class="trans">We can't really blame him. He's so young.</span>
* 这也 <em>难怪</em> 你,他 昨天 才 给 你 回复。<span class="pinyin"> Zhè yě <em>nánguài</em> nǐ, tā  zuótiān cái gěi nǐ huífù.</span><span class="trans">Don't blame yourself. He just replied to you yesterday.</span>
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*这 也 <em>难怪</em> 大家 ,是 我们 通知 晚 了 。<span class="pinyin">Zhè yě <em>nánguài</em> dàjiā, shì wǒmen tōngzhī wǎn le.</span><span class="trans">We can't really blame everybody. It was such short notice.</span>
* 这 也 <em>难怪</em>,你们 第 一 次 到 这 个 地方 还 不 了解 这里 的 风俗。<span class="pinyin">Zhè yě <em>nánguài</em>, nǐmen dì yī cì dào zhè ge dìfāng hái bù liǎojiě zhèlǐ de fēngsú.</span><span class="trans">Don't blame yourselves. It's your first time here, and you don't understand the customs.</span>
 
* A: 他迟到了。 B: 这也<em>难怪</em>。 今天地铁坏了。<span class="pinyin">A: Tā chídàole. B: Zhè yě <em>nánguài</em>. Jīntiān dìtiě huài le.</span><span class="trans">A: He's late.  B: Don't blame him. The subway broke down today.</span>
 
* 这也 <em>难怪</em> ,他们 工作 这么 累,工资 还这么 低。<span class="pinyin"> Zhè yě <em>nánguài</em> ,tāmen gōngzuò zhème lèi,gōngzī hái zhème dī.</span><span class="trans">Don't blame them. Their job is so tiring but they get such a low pay.</span>
 
  
 
</div>
 
</div>
  
When used in this way it expresses that the speaker assigns no blame in the situation he is describing. Sometimes the specific person undeserving of blame is mentioned directly after 难怪, as in the first two examples. Often however the context makes clear who this person is and this is not necessary, as in the last three examples.
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When used in this way it expresses that the speaker assigns no blame in the situation he is describing. Sometimes the specific person undeserving of blame is mentioned directly after 难怪, but not always.
  
==See also==
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== See also ==
  
 
*[["All along" with "yuanlai"]]
 
*[["All along" with "yuanlai"]]
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=== Books ===
 
=== Books ===
 
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{{Source|现代汉语八百词(增订本)|239, 408}}
* [[现代汉语八百词(增订本)]]  (pp. 239) (pp. 408) [http://www.amazon.cn/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%85%AB%E7%99%BE%E8%AF%8D/dp/B001198GSW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345693275&sr=8-1 →buy]
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{{Source|Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1|199}}
* [[Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1]] (p. 199) [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276792/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276792 →buy]
 
  
 
=== Dictionaries ===
 
=== Dictionaries ===
 
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{{Source|现代汉语词典(第5版)|499, 981}}
* [[现代汉语词典(第5版)]] (pp. 499)  (pp. 981) [http://www.amazon.cn/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%8D%E5%85%B8/dp/B001B1RZCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345693609&sr=8-1 →buy]
 
  
 
[[Category:B1 grammar points]]
 
[[Category:B1 grammar points]]
{{Basic Grammar|难怪|B1|难怪/怪不得……|小张 请假 了,<em>难怪</em> 今天 没有 看到 他。|grammar point|ASGFPV2C}}
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{{HSK|HSK5}}
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{{Basic Grammar|难怪|B1|Reason ,怪不得 / 难怪 + Observation |小张 请假 了,<em>难怪</em> 今天 没有 看到 他。|grammar point|ASGFPV2C}}
 
{{Rel char|怪不得}}
 
{{Rel char|怪不得}}
 
{{Rel char|难}}
 
{{Rel char|难}}
 
{{Rel char|怪}}
 
{{Rel char|怪}}
{{Similar|"All Along" with "yuanlai"}}  
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{{Similar|Using "nanguai" as a verb}} 
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{{Similar|"All Along" with "yuanlai"}}
 
{{Used for|Exclaiming}}
 
{{Used for|Exclaiming}}
{{POS|Adverbs}}
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{{Structure|Sentence Patterns}}
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{{Subprop|Complex Sentence Patterns}}

Latest revision as of 03:27, 22 November 2020

怪不得 (guàibude) can be used to express that the speaker finds something unsurprising. It can be used alone or in a variety of different structures, as shown below. 难怪 (nánguài) is another way to express the exact same thing.

Emphasis on 怪不得 / 难怪

怪不得 is used to convey the speaker's newfound understanding of a situation, having recently acquired some new information that, in his opinion, explains it.

Structure

Reason ,怪不得 / 难怪 + [Observation]

怪不得 can be replaced with 难怪 in the structure without altering its meaning.

Examples

  • 小张 请假 了,怪不得 今天 没有 看到 他 。Xiǎo Zhāng qǐngjià le, guàibude jīntiān méiyǒu kàndào tā.Little Zhang asked for vacation time, no wonder I haven't seen him today.
  • 天天 迟到 ,怪不得 他 被 炒鱿鱼 了 。Tiāntiān chídào, guàibude tā bèi chǎoyóuyú le.He's late for work every day. No wonder he got fired.
  • 她 是 你 妹妹 ?难怪 你们 长 得 这么 像 。Tā shì nǐ mèimei? Nánguài nǐmen cháng de zhème xiàng.She's your younger sister? No wonder you two look so much alike.
  • 你 手机 没电 了 ?怪不得 我 打 不 通 。Nǐ shǒujī méi diàn le? Guàibude wǒ dǎ bu tōng.Your cell phone is out of power? No wonder my call wouldn't go through.
  • 你 放 了 醋 ?难怪 这么 难吃 !Nǐ fàng le cù? Nánguài zhème nánchī!You put vinegar in it? No wonder it tastes so bad!

Emphasis on 原来

Structure

怪不得 / 难怪 + [Observation] ,原来 (+ 是) + Reason

Examples

  • 难怪 学生 都 不 喜欢 这个 老师 ,原来 他 的 作业 太 多 了 。Nánguài xuéshēng dōu bù xǐhuan zhège lǎoshī, yuánlái tā de zuòyè tài duō le.No wonder the students don't like this teacher. He gives too much homework.
  • 怪不得 你们 这么 高兴 ,原来 是 要 结婚 了 。Guàibude nǐmen zhème gāoxìng, yuánlái shì yào jiéhūn le.No wonder you two look so happy. You are getting married.
  • 难怪 这里 人 这么 多 ,原来 在 打折 。Nánguài zhèlǐ rén zhème duō, yuánlái zài dǎzhé.No wonder there are so many people here. There's a sale going on.
  • 怪不得 她 拉肚子 ,原来 她 昨天 又 吃 火锅 了 。Guàibude tā lādùzi, yuánlái tā zuótiān yòu chī huǒguō le.No wonder she got a diarrhea. She went to eat hotpot again yesterday.
  • 怪不得 他 没 告诉 我 ,原来 是 不 想 让 我 担心 。Guàibude tā méi gàosu wǒ, yuánlái shì bù xiǎng ràng wǒ dānxīn.No wonder he hasn't told me. He doesn't want me to worry about this.

The Other Meaning of 难怪

This usage is definitely less common, but sometimes 难怪 is a combination of the 难 + Verb pattern and the verb 怪, meaning "to blame." In this case, the meaning is totally different. Although it's not as common, and you shouldn't need to worry about it too much, we include it here because if you ever run into and think that 难怪 can only ever have one meaning, it can totally throw you for a loop.

A few examples:

  • 这 也 难怪 他 ,他 这么 小 。 Zhè yě nánguài tā, tā zhème xiǎo.We can't really blame him. He's so young.
  • 这 也 难怪 大家 ,是 我们 通知 晚 了 。Zhè yě nánguài dàjiā, shì wǒmen tōngzhī wǎn le.We can't really blame everybody. It was such short notice.

When used in this way it expresses that the speaker assigns no blame in the situation he is describing. Sometimes the specific person undeserving of blame is mentioned directly after 难怪, but not always.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

Dictionaries