延误

You use 延误 when you want to talk about a delay. It's often used with specific things like flights, trains, or meetings. You can say "flight delay" as 航班延误 (hángbān yánwù). Or "train delay" is 火车延误 (huǒchē yánwù). It’s a noun or a verb depending on how you use it. For example, "The train experienced a delay" is 火车发生了延误 (huǒchē fāshēngle yánwù). Or "The delay caused problems" is 延误造成了麻烦 (yánwù zàochéngle máfan).

Imagine you're waiting at the airport. The announcement comes: "Your flight is delayed." That's 您的航班延误了 (nín de hángbān yánwùle). Or maybe your online order is taking forever. You check the tracking and see "package delay." That could be 包裹延误 (bāoguǒ yánwù). Even a Zoom meeting might get pushed back. That's a 会议延误 (huìyì yánwù). It’s all about things not happening when they were supposed to.

Use 延误 for scheduled events that are late. Flights, trains, buses, and ferries are prime candidates. Project deadlines and work meetings also fit perfectly. Think of anything with a set time that gets pushed back. It's a neutral term, so it works in most situations. It’s like the Swiss Army knife of delay words! Did you know some airports even have "delay bingo"? Probably not, but they should!

Don't use 延误 for personal lateness, like being late for a casual coffee date. That's more like 迟到 (chídào). 延误 is for scheduled things. You wouldn't say your friend's arrival was 延误 unless they were supposed to be part of a scheduled event, like a parade float. And please, don't use it for when you're late to bed! That's just being sleepy.

A common slip-up is using 延误 for personal lateness. Someone might text, "Sorry, I'm 延误!" when they mean 迟到 (chídào). Another mistake is confusing it with words that mean "cancel." 延误 means delayed, not cancelled. It’s like saying the movie is paused, not stopped forever.

推迟 (tuīchí) means to postpone or defer. It suggests moving something to a later, often specific, date. 延误 is more about being late for the *original* time. 耽误 (dānwu) can also mean delay, but often implies it caused trouble or wasted time. Think of 耽误 as a delay with negative consequences. 延误 is just the delay itself.

You'll often see 延误 combined with other words. 航班延误 (hángbān yánwù) for flight delays is super common. 火车延误 (huǒchē yánwù) for train delays. 行程延误 (xíngchéng yánwù) means a travel itinerary delay. Sometimes you might see 延误通知 (yánwù tōngzhī) – a delay notification. It’s like getting a text saying, "Your bus is fashionably late."