Chinese word

迫不及待

Pronunciation

Pinyinpò bù jí dài

Meaning

  • idiomcan't wait

Example

我迫不及待想见你。wǒ pò bù jí dài xiǎng jiàn nǐ

I can't wait to see you.

Illustration for 迫不及待 (can't wait)

More examples

新菜一上桌，她就迫不及待地夹了一块。xīn cài yí shàng zhuō tā jiù pò bù jí dài dì jiā le yí kuài

As soon as the new dish was served, she couldn't wait to grab a piece.

Core concept

A strong urge makes waiting feel impossible and action feel immediate.

Common phrases

  • 迫不及待地参加pò bù jí dài dì cān jiā

    can't wait to participate

  • 迫不及待地品尝pò bù jí dài dì pǐn cháng

    can't wait to taste

  • 迫不及待地报名pò bù jí dài dì bào míng

    can't wait to sign up

Similar words

等不及děng bù jí: Being unable to wait any longer and wanting to do something immediately.
心急如焚xīn jí rú fén: Feeling intensely worried and distressed, with a strong need for a problem to be solved soon.
坐立不安zuò lì bù ān: Feeling so uneasy and restless that staying still or calm is difficult.
急不可待jí bù kě dài: Feeling that circumstances are too urgent to allow waiting.

Definition in Chinese

形容因为心里非常急切，不能再等待，想马上去做某事或见某人。xíng róng yīn wèi xīn lǐ fēi cháng jí qiè bù néng zài děng dài xiǎng mǎ shàng qù zuò mǒu shì huò jiàn mǒu rén

Word origin

迫不及待 (pòbùjídài, "unable to wait") combines 迫 (pò, "press") + 不及 (bùjí, "not reach in time") + 待 (dài, "wait"), creating the image of pressure that leaves no room for waiting.

Usage tips

  • As an adverbial chengyu, it commonly comes before 想 (xiǎng, "want to"), 要 (yào, "want to"), or 去 (qù, "go to") plus an action.

Other meanings

  • can't stand waitingidiom

Opposites

Word lists with this word