偏偏 (contrary to expectations)

• 拼音: piānpiān
• 结构: Context / Expectation, Subject + 偏偏 + Contrary Result
• 汉字拆解: 偏 = 亻(person) + 扁 (flat/slanted)

含义

The adverb 偏偏 expresses that something happens precisely contrary to one's wishes, expectations, or plans. It conveys frustration, irony, or helplessness about an unwanted or unlucky coincidence.

偏偏 is stronger and more emotionally charged than 偏 alone. While 偏 can simply mean 'to lean toward' or express a mild preference, 偏偏 specifically emphasizes that something happens against the grain of what was desired or expected. The pattern typically sets up a context or expectation in the first clause, then uses 偏偏 in the second clause to introduce the frustrating reality. It often co-occurs with words like 就, 却, and 可是 to reinforce the contrast. Unlike 反而 which neutrally states a contrary result, 偏偏 always carries emotional weight — the speaker is not merely reporting a contrast but expressing that the outcome feels deliberately unfortunate or perverse. It is most natural in spoken Chinese and informal writing.

例句

1. 我让他别迟到，他偏偏迟到了半小时。
2. 大家都通过了面试，偏偏我一个人被刷下来了。
3. 我刚买了新手机，偏偏第二天就降价了。

用法指南

语境: spoken, colloquial, everyday

语气: frustrated

正确说法

• 我正要出门，偏偏钥匙怎么也找不到了。
• 所有人都赞成这个方案，他偏偏投了反对票。
• 我好不容易攒够了钱，偏偏房价又涨了一大截。

错误说法

• 他偏偏很聪明。(偏偏 expresses frustration about an unwanted contrary outcome — it cannot describe a neutral or positive trait without a contrasting expectation) → 他确实很聪明。
• 我偏偏喜欢吃辣的。(Without a frustrating contrast, 偏偏 sounds unnatural — use 偏 or 就是 for simple preference) → 我就是喜欢吃辣的。
• 偏偏他明天来了。(偏偏 typically describes a present or past frustrating event — this sentence lacks the contrasting context needed to convey frustration) → 偏偏他明天才来，今天根本帮不上忙。

起源与历史

The character 偏 means 'to lean, slanted, biased.' The reduplicated form 偏偏 intensifies this sense, conveying that events have tilted decidedly against the speaker's wishes — as if fate itself is leaning the wrong way.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal