What does 措手不及 mean?

措手不及 (cuò shǒu bù jí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Caught off guard”.

How do you pronounce 措手不及?

措手不及 is pronounced cuò shǒu bù jí in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 措手不及 literally mean?

Literally, 措手不及 means “Unable to act in time”. It is used to mean “Caught off guard”.

What is the Chinese definition of 措手不及?

措手：着手处理。来不及动手应付。指事出意外，一时无法对付。

措手不及 — “Caught off guard”

措手不及 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Caught off guard”. Unprepared for an unexpected event; unable to cope in time. Literally, “Unable to act in time”.

Frequency

措手不及 Pronunciation and Pinyin

措cuò
手shǒu
不bù
及jí

措手不及 Character Breakdown

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
措	cuò	11	handle or arrange
手	shǒu	4	hand, skill, person, handy
不	bù	4	not
及	jí	4	reach, and, in time

Example Sentence with 措手不及

突如其来的大雨让他措手不及，没带伞就被淋湿了。

The sudden heavy rain caught him off guard, and he got wet without an umbrella.

Idioms Related to 措手不及

Synonyms of 措手不及

Antonyms of 措手不及

More idioms starting with 措

Questions about 措手不及

What does 措手不及 mean?: 措手不及 (cuò shǒu bù jí) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Caught off guard”.
How do you pronounce 措手不及?: 措手不及 is pronounced cuò shǒu bù jí in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 措手不及 literally mean?: Literally, 措手不及 means “Unable to act in time”. It is used to mean “Caught off guard”.
What is the Chinese definition of 措手不及?: 措手：着手处理。来不及动手应付。指事出意外，一时无法对付。

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