Unexpectedly / who would have thought (不料/岂料)

Structure Expected premise，不料 + unexpected turn

不料 (bùliào) introduces a narrative twist that contradicts what was taken for granted: "but, against all odds…". It opens the second clause after an expectation has been set: 本以为顺利，不料半路出了岔子 = "I thought it would go smoothly, but halfway through a snag came up". It is the written, narrative counterpart of 没想到 (more colloquial, HSK 4). The variants 岂料 (qǐliào) and 孰料 (shúliào) are even more literary, at home in refined or journalistic prose.

Examples

本běn以yǐ为wéi一yī切qiè顺shùn利lì，不bù料liào半bàn路lù出chū了le岔chà子zi。
I thought everything would go smoothly, but halfway through a snag came up.
他tā出chū门mén时shí还hái好hǎo好hǎo的de，不bù料liào当dàng晚wǎn就jiù病bìng倒dǎo了le。
He was perfectly fine when he left, yet that very night, unexpectedly, he fell ill.
投tóu资zī者zhě满mǎn怀huái信xìn心xīn，岂qǐ料liào市shì场chǎng一yī夜yè之zhī间jiān崩bēng盘pán。
Investors were brimming with confidence; who would have thought the market would collapse overnight.

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