4 · Adverbs that carry the grammar
Originally, it turns out, actually: běnlái, yuánlái and qíshí
adverbs that correct an earlier picture
Běnlái recalls a plan that changed, yuánlái announces a discovery, and qíshí corrects an impression.
All three words compare what someone thought with what turned out to be so, but each stands at a different moment. 本来 looks back at how things were or were meant to be before they changed: 我本来想去，后来没去, “I meant to go, but in the end I didn’t”. It is often followed by 后来 or 可是.
原来 can mean the same “originally”, and only 原来 can describe a noun: 原来的地址, “the old address”. Its second meaning is the one learners notice: “so that’s it, it turns out”. It marks the moment of discovery — 原来是你！, “oh, it’s you!” — and is often paired with 怪不得, “no wonder”.
其实 is “actually, in fact”: it contradicts an appearance or an assumption, usually the listener’s. 他看起来很凶，其实人很好, “he looks fierce, but he’s actually very kind”. Unlike English “actually”, it is never a mere filler.
All three can stand before or after the subject. The quick test is to ask which moment the sentence is about: the past plan (本来), the moment of finding out (原来), or the truth set against a wrong impression (其实).
The form
| meant to, but it changed | 我本来想去，后来没去。 |
| the former … | 这是我原来的电话号码。 |
| so it turns out | 原来是你！ |
| actually, in fact | 他看起来很凶，其实人很好。 |
| in the first place | 这本来就是你的事。 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
本来 describes how things were or were planned before they changed.
我本来想坐火车，后来改坐飞机了。I originally meant to take the train, but then I decided to fly.
原来 can mean “originally” too, and only 原来 stands before 的 as “former”.
我们还住在原来的地方。We still live where we used to.
原来 also announces a discovery: so that is how it is.
怪不得这么冷，原来窗户开着。No wonder it’s so cold — the window is open.
其实 corrects an appearance or an assumption: in fact.
大家都以为他是老师，其实他是学生。Everyone thought he was a teacher, but actually he’s a student.
本来就 means “anyway, in the first place”: it was like that all along.
这件事本来就是你的错。This was your fault in the first place.
A closer look
Actually is not always qíshí
English “actually” has drifted into a softener: “actually, could you pass the salt?”. 其实 has not. It always sets a truth against something that looked or was said otherwise, and a Chinese listener will wait for the contrast. If there is none, leave it out, or use 对了 to bring up a new point.
A fixed phrase is worth knowing as well: 原来如此, “so that’s how it is”, the polite way of showing that an explanation has landed.
How to spot it
- 本来…后来
- 原来是
- 怪不得…原来
- 其实
- 本来就
- 以为…其实
Example sentences
这里本来是一片农田。This was originally farmland.
原来你也认识他！So you know him too!
这道菜看起来很辣，其实一点儿也不辣。This dish looks spicy, but actually it isn’t spicy at all.
我本来不想来，是朋友叫我来的。I didn’t want to come at first — a friend talked me into it.
我以为他生气了，原来他只是累了。I thought he was angry; it turned out he was just tired.
其实我早就知道了。Actually, I’ve known for ages.
7 more example sentences
我们本来打算去海边，可是下雨了。We had planned to go to the seaside, but it rained.
他原来在银行工作，现在自己开了一家店。He used to work at a bank; now he has opened a shop of his own.
门开了，原来是送快递的。The door opened — it was the courier.
这个问题其实不难。This problem isn’t actually hard.
你不用谢我，这本来就是我的工作。You don’t need to thank me — this is my job anyway.
她说她不在乎，其实心里很难过。She says she doesn’t care, but deep down she is very upset.
我找了半天眼镜，原来就在我头上。I spent ages looking for my glasses, and they were on my head all along.
Worth knowing (1)
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Yuánlái rúcǐ: so that’s it
The four-character phrase 原来如此 is the discovery meaning of 原来 in a fixed form. It is a courteous reply to an explanation — “I see, that explains it” — and sounds a touch more educated than 哦 or 明白了.
原来如此，谢谢你告诉我。I see — thank you for telling me.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Both words are given as “originally” in word lists, so learners treat them as twins. Only 原来 can announce a discovery — “so it’s you!”. 本来 always looks back at a state that existed before, and here nothing existed before; the speaker has just found something out.
Běnlái looks back at a plan that changed, yuánlái announces a discovery, and qíshí corrects a wrong impression.
Your turn
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