Level 5 · Advanced
You never know: 说不定
说不定 + Guess · Traditional: 說不定 + Guess
说不定 (shuōbudìng) — literally "can't say for sure" — floats a real possibility, often a hopeful one: 快给他打电话，说不定他还没出发 "call him quick — he might not have left yet."
It's warmer and more optimistic than 可能. For guesses you dread, Chinese reaches for 恐怕 instead: 说不定他中奖了 "who knows, maybe he won the lottery!" vs 恐怕他迟到了 "I'm afraid he's running late."
Examples
快给他打电话，说不定他还没出发。
快給他打電話，說不定他還沒出發。
kuài gěi tā dǎ diàn huà shuō bu dìng tā hái méi chū fā
Call him quick — he might not have left yet.
别扔，这个说不定以后还有用。
別扔，這個說不定以後還有用。
bié rēng zhè ge shuō bu dìng yǐ hòu hái yǒu yòng
Don't throw it out — you never know, it might come in handy.
今天说不定会下雨，带把伞吧。
今天說不定會下雨，帶把傘吧。
jīn tiān shuō bu dìng huì xià yǔ dài bǎ sǎn ba
It might well rain today — take an umbrella.
他这么努力，说不定明年就当老板了。
他這麼努力，說不定明年就當老闆了。
tā zhè me nǔ lì shuō bu dìng míng nián jiù dāng lǎo bǎn le
The way he works, he might just be the boss by next year.
Common mistakes
✗ 恐怕他中奖了！
✓ 说不定他中奖了！
Hopeful guesses take 说不定; 恐怕 is reserved for outcomes you're afraid of.
Related grammar points
Practice this pattern in graded stories like Pictures vs. Reality (Part 2), Reporting to the Boss (Part 4) inside the Literate Chinese app.
