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突如其来

tū rú qí lái

sudden and unexpected

Character by character

突tū
sudden
如rú
-ly
其qí
its
来lái
coming

Example

一场突如其来的大雨把我们淋湿了。
A sudden downpour soaked us.

Tone: neutral.

Usage and origin

From the Book of Changes (离卦); usually 突如其来的 + noun.

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