来不及

lái bu jí

HSK 2.0 Level 4 HSK 3.0 Level 4 Verb Common

Definitions

1. there's not enough time (to do sth)
2. it's too late (to do sth)

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.

Get Yearly · $49.99 / year

Continue with Email

By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Lifetime for $119.99 Try a practice session

Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

来得及

lái de jí

to have enough time; can do it in time; can still make it

time sufficiency

Synonyms

1 item

赶不上

gǎn bù shàng

can't keep up with

unable to make it in time

Usage notes

Collocations

Commonly used with a verb phrase to indicate the action cannot be done in time: 来不及 + Verb Phrase.

Common mistakes

Do not use 来不及 with a specific time complement; it already implies lateness.

Grammar

Guides that feature 来不及

Jump into a full guide with fill-in-the-blank drills. Clicking will load the page and move you to the top.

2 guides

HSK 2.0 Level 5+ HSK 3.0 Level 5+ 7 min

Advanced Potential Complements

Practice 做得到, 来不及, 受不了, and other potential-complement chunks.

Reading: lái bu jí Open guide

HSK 2.0 Level 4+ HSK 3.0 Level 4+ 6 min

In Time or Too Late: 来得及 and 来不及

Use 来得及 to say there is still time to do something, and 来不及 to say it is too late.

Reading: lái bu jí Open guide

Example Sentences

1 shown

快点儿，我们来不及了！

Hurry up, we won't make it in time!

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 来不及

no; not so

to come

and

to fall short of

来不及