喜出望外
- Literal
- joy beyond what was hoped for
- Figurative
- To be overjoyed at something good one never expected; unlike 兴高采烈, the stress is on the surprise rather than on any outward show of high spirits.
Where does 喜出望外 come from?
The phrase is on record in a letter from the Song-dynasty poet Su Shi to his friend Li Zhiyi, where he uses it for his own delight at something he had not expected. It reads easily: 喜 is "joy," 出 "to go out," and 望外 "beyond what was hoped"; the joy overflows what one dared to hope for. What sets it apart from 兴高采烈 is the surprise: it does not describe how much exuberance is on show, but the fact that the good news arrives unlooked-for. Today it is in everyday use, in speech and writing alike.
Source (出处): 苏轼《与李之仪书》
How is 喜出望外 used? Two examples
- 本来没抱什么希望，没想到面试通过了，我真是喜出望外。
I hadn't really gotten my hopes up, so when I passed the interview I was overjoyed.
- 多年没联系的老同学突然来看我，我喜出望外。
An old classmate I hadn't heard from in years suddenly came to see me, and I was delighted beyond words.
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