Definition
竟是 is a verb phrase meaning 'turn out to be' or 'surprisingly is/are'. It combines 竟 (unexpectedly) with 是 (to be) to express that the actual identity or nature of something is surprising or contrary to expectation. You use it when you discover something that contradicts what you assumed — the element of surprise is essential to its meaning. It's a formal or literary register, common in written Chinese and news reporting.
v.p.
turn out to be (surprisingly)unexpectedly is/are
Examples
- 竟是。Wǒ méi xiǎngdào tā jìng shì wǒ de xiǎoxué tóngxué.I didn't expect that he would turn out to be my elementary school classmate.
- 竟是。Nàge xiǎotōu jìng shì yí gè shí jǐ suì de háizi.That thief turned out to be a teenager.
- 竟是。Tā shuō de nàge dìfang jìng shì wǒ xiǎoshíhou zhù guò de dìfang.The place he mentioned turned out to be where I lived as a child.
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