Definition

1. Adverbial phrase:
   • Not to expect, unexpectedly, contrary to expectation: Used to express that something happened that was not anticipated or foreseen. It conveys surprise or an unforeseen turn of events.

Usage Examples

• Adverbial phrase:
  • Chẳng dè nữa đường xe hỏng. (We didn't expect the car to break down halfway.)
  • Chẳng dè trời mưa to. (We didn't expect the heavy rain.)
  • Chẳng dè cô ấy đã đến sớm như vậy. (I didn't expect her to arrive so early.)

Advanced Usage

• "Chẳng dè" is often used at the beginning of a sentence or clause to introduce an unexpected event. It sets up a contrast between what was assumed and what actually occurred.
  • Chẳng dè dự án lại thành công ngoài mong đợi. (Unexpectedly, the project succeeded beyond expectations.)

Variants and Related Words

• Không ngờ: To not expect, to be surprised. (Similar meaning but more common in modern speech.)
  • Tôi không ngờ gặp lại anh ở đây. (I didn't expect to meet you here.)
• Đâu ngờ: Who would have thought, little did one expect. (A more literary or emphatic variant.)
  • Đâu ngờ cuộc gặp đó lại thay đổi mọi thứ. (Little did I know that meeting would change everything.)

Synonyms

• Bất ngờ: Unexpected, surprising (an adjective).
• Ngoài dự kiến: Beyond expectation, unforeseen.

Notes on Usage

• "Chẳng dè" is a classical or literary Vietnamese expression. In contemporary spoken Vietnamese, "không ngờ" or "không nghĩ" are more frequently used.
• It functions as an adverbial phrase modifying the entire clause that follows, indicating the speaker's lack of anticipation for the event described.

1. Not to expect
   • Chẳng dè nữa đường xe hỏng
     We didn't expect the car to break down half - way