意料

• Pinyin: yì liào
• Hanzi breakdown: 意 = 音 + 心 (sound + heart — what the heart intends, thought); 料 = 米 + 斗 (grain + measuring ladle — to estimate, to calculate)

Meaning

To anticipate; to expect. As a noun: expectation, anticipation. Most commonly used in phrases such as 出乎意料 (beyond expectation) and 在意料之中 (within expectation).

Rarely used as a standalone verb in modern Chinese; almost always appears in set phrases. Key collocations: 出乎意料 (beyond expectation — surprisingly), 在意料之中 (as expected — unsurprisingly), 不出所料 (as anticipated), 意料之外 (unexpected). The 意 (intent/thought) + 料 (estimate/material) combination conveys a sense of deliberate mental calculation about the future.

Examples

1. 这部低成本独立电影的票房表现出乎所有人的意料，首周末即突破了五亿元大关，创下同类影片的历史纪录。 The box office performance of this low-budget indie film exceeded everyone’s expectations, crossing the 500-million-yuan mark in its opening weekend and setting a record for films of its kind.
2. 他的突然辞职对公司管理层来说完全在意料之外，因为就在一个月前他还刚刚接受了新的职位晋升。 His sudden resignation came as a complete surprise to company leadership, because just a month earlier he had accepted a new promotion.
3. 双方谈判最终以和解告终，这一结果虽在业界的普遍意料之中，但最终条款的慷慨程度仍令市场感到惊喜。 The negotiations ultimately ended in a settlement; while that outcome was broadly expected in the industry, the generosity of the final terms still surprised the market.

Usage Guide

Context: narrative, business, daily life, reporting

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 竞争对手的这一战略转型出乎业界大多数分析师的意料，此前几乎没有任何公开信号预示该公司会在如此短的时间内彻底放弃其核心业务板块。(This competitor's strategic transformation exceeded the expectations of most industry analysts; almost no prior public signals had foreshadowed that the company would completely abandon its core business segment in such a short time.)
• 经过数月的深思熟虑，她意料到谈判对方必然会在最后阶段提出追加条件，因此提前设计了一套应对方案，最终令对方措手不及。(After months of careful deliberation, she anticipated that the opposing party would inevitably raise additional conditions in the final stage, so she prepared a contingency plan in advance, ultimately catching the other side off guard.)

Don't Say

• 我意料他会来 — 意料 is rarely used as a standalone transitive verb; say 我预料他会来 or 我估计他会来 instead; 意料 works best in fixed phrases like 出乎意料 or 在意料之中

Origin & History

意 (thought/intent — 音 sound + 心 heart; what the heart sounds/intends) + 料 (to estimate/reckon — 米 grain + 斗 measuring ladle; estimating quantities by measure)

Cultural Context

Era: Classical–Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal