How to say “not have enough time” in Chinese
not have enough time
“Not have enough time” in Chinese is 来不及, lái bu jí: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
来不及 is read lái bu jí: 3 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
Before a fourth tone it is read bú: 不是 bú shì.
It hints at the sound of 级 jí, 极 jí and 圾 jī.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “来不及”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 来不及. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 快走吧来不及了kuàizǒuba,láibujíleLet's go, quick, we're not going to make it!
- 我来不及吃早饭了wǒláibujíchīzǎofànleI don't have time for breakfast anymore.
- 赶快走吧，否则来不及了。gǎnkuàizǒuba,fǒuzéláibujíleLet's go, quick, or we won't make it.
- 我们要加快速度，否则来不及。wǒmenyàojiākuàisùdù,fǒuzéláibujíWe need to speed up, or we won't make it.
More words from the lesson “Will we make it?”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “not have enough time” in Chinese?
“Not have enough time” in Chinese is 来不及, pinyin láibují.
What does 来不及 mean?
来不及 (láibují) means “not have enough time”.
How do you write 来不及?
来不及 is 3 characters: 来 (lái) — come; 不 (bù) — not, no; 及 (jí) — reach, be in time; and (literary). The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 来不及?
来不及 is read láibují. Tones: lái — second tone, bu — neutral tone, jí — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“not have enough time” in the lesson “Will we make it?”
This word is from the topic “On the road: transportation” of HSK 4. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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