do not be surprised; lo and behold; wait for it
A set phrase used to preface a surprising or unexpected statement, often with a dramatic or rhetorical tone. Equivalent to 'believe it or not' or 'you won't believe this, but...'.
Lo and behold, I heard he got a perfect score on that exam.
Wait for it—this small town is home to the headquarters of a global corporation.
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling; the most common written form.
Rarely used kanji form; 勿れ is an older kanji for the prohibitive なかれ.
Irregular kanji usage; 無 is not standard for this word. Included for search coverage.
From the classical prohibitive form of 驚く (odoroku, 'to be surprised') with the auxiliary なかれ (nakare, 'do not'). The phrase is a fixed expression in modern Japanese.