突如其来
- Literal
- all of a sudden, its coming
- Figurative
- Arriving all at once and with no warning at all. It is used mostly of events: a storm, a piece of news, an illness, a sudden change of plan.
Where does 突如其来 come from?
There is no anecdote behind it, just a stray line from the 《易经》. The 离 hexagram contains the phrase “突如其来如，焚如，死如，弃如”, a run of abrupt images in which 如 is merely a rhythmic particle carrying no meaning of its own. Later usage trimmed those syllables down to the four we use today. This is a common case among idioms: not a story to tell, but a turn of phrase lifted from an old text that simply stuck.
Source (出处): 《易经·离卦》
How is 突如其来 used? Two examples
- 一场突如其来的大雨把我们全都淋湿了。
A downpour came out of nowhere and left us all soaked.
- 面对突如其来的消息，他愣了半天没说话。
Faced with the sudden news, he froze for a long moment without a word.
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