Dictionary entry
out of the blue
adverb
突然地；出乎意料地
unexpectedly; without warning
突然
In use
I received a letter from an old friend out of the blue yesterday.
She got a job offer out of the blue after that interview.
The weather changed out of the blue, so we had to cancel our picnic.
happen / appear / come + out of the blue
The job offer came out of the blue.
这份工作机会突然降临。
Out of the blue, + [clause]
Out of the blue, she decided to quit her job.
突然之间，她决定辞职。
be + out of the blue
The news was completely out of the blue.
这条消息完全出乎意料。
Common mistakes
He came out of blue.He came out of the blue.
短语 'out of the blue' 中的 'the' 不能省略，这是固定表达。
He came out of the sudden.He came out of the blue.
混淆了 'out of the blue' 和 'all of a sudden'。'out of the sudden' 不是正确形式，应使用 'out of the blue'。
Connections
Confusing words
- all of a sudden
- 突然地 · 'out of the blue'强调事件完全出乎意料且无预兆，而'all of a sudden'仅强调发生迅速，不一定包含意外性。
- out of nowhere
- 不知从哪儿冒出来 · 'out of the blue'暗示事件意外出现，但'out of nowhere'更强调来源不明或凭空出现，常用于描述物体或人的出现。
- unexpectedly
- 出乎意料地 · 'out of the blue'是固定短语，用作副词短语；'unexpectedly'是普通副词，可直接修饰动词，两者在句中位置略有不同。
Word family
- blueberry
- 蓝莓 · n.
- blueprint
- 蓝图；设计图 · n.
- blue-collar
- 蓝领的；体力劳动的 · adj.
Learner notes
Grammar Note
通常用作句首或句末状语，表示突然发生。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT.