Chinese word

措手不及

Pronunciation

Pinyincuò shǒu bù jí

Meaning

  • idiombe caught off guard

Example

会议突然延长，我有点措手不及。huì yì tū rán yán cháng wǒ yóu diǎn cuò shǒu bù jí

The meeting suddenly ran long, and I was a little caught off guard.

Illustration for 措手不及 (be caught off guard)

More examples

突如其来的变化让人措手不及。tū rú qí lái de biàn huà ràng rén cuò shǒu bù jí

The sudden change caught people off guard.

Core concept

An unexpected situation moves faster than preparation, leaving the immediate problem beyond practical control.

Common phrases

  • 让人措手不及ràng rén cuò shǒu bù jí

    catch someone off guard

  • 显得措手不及xiǎn de cuò shǒu bù jí

    seem caught off guard

Similar words

手忙脚乱shǒu máng jiǎo luàn: Rushing in confusion and losing the calm, orderly control needed to handle a task.
惊慌失措jīng huāng shī cuò: Losing composure and panicking because of sudden surprise or fear.
应接不暇yìng jiē bù xiá: Having too many things to handle at once to respond to them all.

Definition in Chinese

因事态突然发生而未能及时准备或采取应对措施，导致无法处理眼前问题的状态。yīn shì tài tū rán fā shēng ér wèi néng jí shí zhǔn bèi huò cái qǔ yìng duì cuò shī dǎo zhì wú fǎ chú lǐ yǎn qián wèn tí de zhuàng tài

Word origin

措手不及 (cuòshǒubùjí, "be caught off guard") literally joins the idea of placing one's hands with not reaching, portraying a response that cannot be put in place before a sudden event requires it.

Usage tips

  • For English-speaking learners, the useful usage distinction is that the expression highlights the response problem after a surprise, not merely the fact that something was unexpected.

Other meanings

  • be unable to copeidiom

Opposites

Word lists with this word