Chinese word

延

Pronunciation

Pinyinyán

Meaning

  • verbpostpone

Example

把会议延到明天可以吗？bǎ huì yì yán dào míng tiān ké yǐ ma

Can we postpone the meeting until tomorrow?

Illustration for 延 (postpone)

More examples

因为关键人员缺席，会议被延到下周。yīn wèi guān jiàn rén yuán quē xí huì yì bèi yán dào xià zhōu

Because key personnel were absent, the meeting was postponed until next week.

Core concept

A path or timeline continues beyond its original endpoint, so the finish either lasts longer or comes later.

Common phrases

  • 延到明天yán dào míng tiān

    postpone until tomorrow

  • 延后举行yán hòu jǔ xíng

    postpone holding

  • 延迟交货yán chí jiāo huò

    delay delivery

Similar words

推迟tuī chí: Move a planned event or its scheduled time to a later point.
延期yán qī: Change a fixed date or deadline to a later day.
延长yán cháng: Make a period or activity last longer than originally planned.
拖延tuō yán: Put off a needed task so that it happens later than planned.

Definition in Chinese

使时间、期限、动作或事物在原来基础上向后推移或变长，使发生或持续的时点或范围往后或更久。shǐ shí jiān qī xiàn dòng zuò huò shì wù zài yuán lái jī chǔ shàng xiàng hòu tuī yí huò biàn cháng shǐ fā shēng huò chí xù de shí diǎn huò fàn wéi wǎng hòu huò gèng jiǔ

Word origin

延 (yán, "to extend; postpone") combines a walking-related component with a sound-bearing element, reflecting continued movement and the idea of carrying something farther in time.

Usage tips

  • For schedule changes, stating the new endpoint with 到 (dào, "to") makes the time relation clear; English often expresses the same relation with until or to.

Other meanings

  • delayverb
  • extendverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word