Skip to content

措手不及

cuò shǒu bù jí
HSK 3.0 Level 7 Uncommon

Definitions

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

Stop forgetting what you study. Build recall daily.

Try HanyuGuide's Chinese review system with multiple choice, typed recall, tone-aware practice, and reviews scheduled before memory fades.

Start Free Trial $9.99 / year
Try the 30-second demo

Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item
措置裕如
cuò zhì yù rú

to handle easily (idiom); effortless

措置裕如表示处理事情从容不迫，与措手不及形成鲜明对比。

Related words

1 item
手忙脚乱
shǒu máng jiǎo luàn

to act with confusion

手忙脚乱是措手不及时常有的表现，形容慌张忙乱的样子。

Synonyms

1 item
猝不及防
cù bù jí fáng

to be caught off guard

两者都表示事发突然，来不及应对。措手不及更强调手忙脚乱，猝不及防更强调心理上的毫无防备。

Usage notes

Collocations

常与‘让’或‘令’搭配，如‘让人措手不及’。

Common mistakes

勿将‘措手不及’与‘措手可得’混淆，后者表示很容易得到。

Example Sentences

1 shown
突发的情况让大家 措手不及 。
The sudden situation caught everyone off guard.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 措手不及

不
bù

no; not so

及
jí

and

手
shǒu

hand

不及
bù jí

to fall short of

措
cuò

to handle

措手
cuò shǒu

to deal with