Chinese phrase
临时有事 lín shí yǒu shì
Meaning
Something has come up
When to use it
An unexpected matter has arisen. The phrase often gives a brief, polite reason for changing or missing a planned activity without giving personal details.
Example dialogue
明天的客户晚宴您能参加吗？ míng tiān de kè hù wǎn yàn nín néng cān jiā ma
Can you attend the client dinner tomorrow?
抱歉，我临时有事，不能参加，不过我可以派李华代替。 bào qiàn wǒ lín shí yǒu shì bù néng cān jiā bú guò wǒ ké yǐ pài lǐ huá dài tì
I am sorry, something has come up, so I cannot attend, but I can send Li Hua instead.