A1 Expression خنثی

来不及了

láibují le

It's too late

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Use {来不及了|láibujíle} when you realize there is no longer enough time to complete a task or reach a destination.

  • Means: It is too late; there is no time left.
  • Used in: Missing trains, running late for work, or failing to finish a deadline.
  • Don't confuse: {来不及|láibují} (the state) with {不来|bùlái} (not coming).
Clock + Running Person + Sad Face = {来不及了|láibujíle}

Explanation at your level:

This phrase means 'no time.' Use it when you are late for a bus or a meeting.
You use this when you cannot finish something because the time is gone. It is very common in daily life when you are in a hurry.
This is a resultative construction. It indicates that the duration required for an action exceeds the time available. It is essential for managing expectations in both social and professional contexts.
The phrase functions as a pragmatic marker of urgency. It serves to inform interlocutors that a previously established schedule is no longer viable, often necessitating immediate rescheduling or cancellation of plans.
Syntactically, it acts as a potential complement. It reflects a cultural emphasis on temporal efficiency. Its usage is highly context-dependent, often signaling a shift from a proactive to a reactive state regarding task completion.
From a cognitive linguistics perspective, this phrase maps the concept of 'time' onto a 'path' schema. When one cannot 'reach' (及) the destination within the 'path' of available time, the state of 'lateness' is achieved. It is a quintessential example of how Chinese encodes temporal constraints through verb-complement structures.

معنی

Indicating that there is insufficient time to do something.

🌍

زمینه فرهنگی

Punctuality is a sign of respect. Similar usage, very polite.

💡

Remember the 'de'

来得及 is positive, 来不及 is negative.

معنی

Indicating that there is insufficient time to do something.

💡

Remember the 'de'

来得及 is positive, 来不及 is negative.

خودت رو بسنج

Fill in the blank with the correct phrase.

电影要开始了，我们____。

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: 来不及了

The movie is starting, so there is no time left.

🎉 امتیاز: /1

ابزارهای بصری یادگیری

سوالات متداول

1 سوال

No, only for events or tasks.

عبارات مرتبط

🔗

来得及

contrast

Still in time

کجا استفاده کنیم

🚌

Missing the bus

You: 啊！车开了！来不及了！

informal
💻

Work deadline

Boss: 报告做好了吗？

You: 对不起，现在做肯定来不及了。

neutral

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Imagine a 'Lai' (ライ) dog running to catch a bus but it's 'Bu' (not) 'Ji' (reaching) the door. It's too late!

Visual Association

A person standing at a train station platform, watching the red tail lights of a train disappearing into a tunnel while looking at their watch.

Rhyme

Time is flying, no use crying, {来不及了|láibujíle} is what you're sighing.

Story

Xiao Wang woke up at 8:00. His meeting was at 8:05. He looked at the clock and sighed, '来不及了!' He skipped breakfast and ran out the door.

Word Web

时间赶不上晚了截止日期急来得及

چالش

Set a timer for 30 seconds and try to write down 5 things you can't finish in that time.

In Other Languages

Spanish high

Es demasiado tarde

Chinese focuses on the action failing to reach the goal.

French high

C'est trop tard

Chinese is more process-oriented.

German high

Es ist zu spät

Chinese implies a failed attempt at an action.

Japanese very_high

間に合わない (Maniawanai)

The kanji are identical in meaning.

Arabic moderate

فات الأوان (Fata al-awan)

Subject-focused vs. Time-focused.

Chinese n/a

来不及

N/A

Korean moderate

늦었다 (Neujeotda)

Chinese uses a verb phrase.

Portuguese high

É tarde demais

Chinese implies a failed action.

Easily Confused

来不及了 در مقابل 来得及

Opposite meaning

得 = can, 不 = cannot

سوالات متداول (1)

No, only for events or tasks.

مفید بود؟

نظرات (0)

برای نظر دادن وارد شوید
هنوز نظری وجود ندارد. اولین نفری باشید که افکار خود را به اشتراک می‌گذارد!