As I know, 竟然 and 居然 both mean "unexpectedly". Do they have any difference?
1 Answer
They are very similar. The difference is that 竟然 is more used in a negative situation where the unpleasant result is out of control and beyond the expectation, while 居然 could be used in both good(i.e. surprise) and bad (i.e. accident).
-
4Disagreed. Both words can be used in positive or negative situations. The difference is that 居然 is more emphatic. see this article: pep.com.cn/xiaoyu/jiaoshi/tbjx/xy_jcdy/xydy4/201008/…– RephinxApr 25, 2014 at 7:52
-
1Agree with Rephinx. I can think of many situations where 竟然 can be used in a positive light. Apr 28, 2014 at 2:49