竟然 from HSK Level 4 Vocabulary List

The Chinese word 竟然 (jìng rán) is composed of two characters: 竟 (jìng) and 然 (rán). The character 竟 originally meant "to reach the end" or "to complete," but over time it has come to mean "unexpectedly" or "contrary to expectations." The character 然 (rán) originally meant "thus" or "so," but it has also come to be used as an intensifier, similar to the English word "indeed."When combined, the two characters 竟然 create a word that means "unexpectedly" or "contrary to expectations." It is often used to express surprise or astonishment, and it can also be used to convey a sense of irony or sarcasm. For example, the sentence 竟然下雨了 (jìng rán xià yǔ le) means "It's raining unexpectedly," and the sentence 竟然是他 (jìng rán shì tā) means "It's him, of all people!"The word 竟然 is a versatile word that can be used in a variety of contexts. It is a common word in everyday speech, and it is also used in literature and poetry.