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措手不及

cuò shǒu bù jí

HSK 7–9

Meaning

  • no time to deal with it (idiom); caught unprepared

Definition

来不及应付；形容突然发生的情况使人来不及准备。

unprepared; caught off guard; unable to cope with an unexpected situation.

Usage

常用作谓语、宾语或状语，形容突发情况让人猝不及防。

Often used as predicate, object, or adverbial, describing an unexpected situation that catches one off guard.

Examples

  • 1 这场突如其来的大雨让人措手不及，许多行人都没有带伞。 (This sudden heavy rain caught people off guard; many pedestrians didn't bring umbrellas.)
  • 2 对手的快速反击让我们措手不及，防线瞬间崩溃。 (The opponent's quick counterattack caught us off guard, and our defense collapsed instantly.)
  • 3 接到公司裁员的通知，他措手不及，完全没想到会这样。 (Receiving the layoff notice from the company, he was caught off guard and never expected this to happen.)
  • 4 考试中突然出现的新题型让考生们措手不及。 (The new question type that suddenly appeared in the exam caught the students off guard.)
  • 5 他刚上任就遇到预算缩减的难题，措手不及。 (He encountered the problem of budget cuts right after taking office, caught off guard.)

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