HSK 4
语气副词：的确、反而、竟然、究竟
yǔ qì fù cí ： dí què 、 fǎn ér 、 jìng rán 、 jiū jìng
Adverbs expressing mood (语气): 的确、反而、竟然、究竟
Explanation
This is a group of mood adverbs (function words/adverbs expressing the attitude or tone of a sentence — 语气副词 yǔqì fùcí), placed before a verb or adjective to add nuance to the sentence rather than to convey a concrete meaning.
subject (the person/thing performing the action, at the start of the sentence) + 的确/反而/竟然/究竟 + predicate (the part stating the action or quality).
的确 (díquè) = indeed, truly — used to confirm or affirm something real. 反而 (fǎn'ér) = on the contrary, instead — states a result OPPOSITE to what was expected, often paired with 不但没 búdàn méi (not only... not). 竟然 (jìngrán) = unexpectedly, to one's surprise — expresses surprise. 究竟 (jiūjìng) = after all, exactly — emphasizes a question to demand a clear answer.
究竟 is only used in questions ("after all... or not?"), whereas 竟然 is used in statements to express surprise; don't mix them up.
placing these adverbs after the verb or at the end of the sentence; they must go BEFORE the verb/adjective. 反而 does not stand alone but usually needs a preceding clause stating what should have happened.
Examples
This is indeed my fault.
The wind not only did not stop but, on the contrary, grew stronger and stronger.
This question was very easy, yet the students all got it wrong.
Are you going to tomorrow evening's party or not, after all?
Practice
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Learn “语气副词：的确、反而、竟然、究竟” effectively
The grammar point “语气副词：的确、反而、竟然、究竟” (Adverbs expressing mood (语气): 的确、反而、竟然、究竟) is one of the key structures at HSK 4. To use it fluently, you need to understand the contexts where it's used and practice regularly.
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