每天成语
background texture
< 串通一气不足为怪 >

措手不及

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: cuò shǒu bù jí
  • English Translation: Caught off guard / Taken by surprise
  • Idiom Composition: 「措」（To handle, arrange, or take measures）＋「手」（Hand (referring to action or intervention)）＋「不」（Not）＋「及」（To reach or be in time for）
  • Meaning: To be caught unprepared by a sudden event, leaving no time to react or take measures.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「措手不及」 contains the following nuances:

  • Suddenness and Urgency: Emphasizes the time pressure when something happens so fast that reaction speed cannot keep up.
  • Lack of Preparation: Refers to the inability to take proper measures (措手) because the event was not anticipated.
  • Passive Position: Usually describes being on the receiving end of a surprise, feeling flustered by external changes or an opponent's actions.

3. Usage

「措手不及」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Surprise Attacks or Competition: The most typical usage, describing being unable to react to an opponent's unexpected move. Often used in the structure 打 (dǎ) + [Person] + 个措手不及 (gè cuò shǒu bù jí).
    • Example:「竞争对手突然发布新产品，打了我们一个措手不及。」
      （The competitor suddenly released a new product, catching us completely off guard.)
  • Sudden Troubles: Used for situations where external factors like weather, accidents, or sudden news cause confusion.
    • Example:「一场突如其来的暴雨让没带伞的行人们措手不及。」
      （A sudden downpour caught the pedestrians without umbrellas off guard.)
  • Responding to Questions or Demands: Describes being at a loss for words when faced with an unexpected question or task.
    • Example:「记者尖锐的提问让那位发言人措手不及，一时语塞。」
      （The reporter's sharp question caught the spokesperson off guard, leaving them momentarily speechless.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 为了不让突发状况搞得措手不及，我们需要提前制定备用方案。
    （We need to develop a backup plan in advance so we aren't caught off guard by sudden situations.）
  2. 这消息来得太突然，大家都有些措手不及。
    （The news came so suddenly that everyone was taken by surprise.）
  3. 敌军趁夜偷袭，打得守军措手不及，只能仓皇撤退。
    （The enemy launched a night raid and caught the guards off guard, forcing them to retreat in haste.）
  4. 政策的突然调整让很多企业感到措手不及。
    （The sudden policy adjustment has caught many companies off guard.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Grammatical Structure: The idiom is most frequently used in the phrase 打 (dǎ) + [Person] + 个措手不及 (gè cuò shǒu bù jí), which functions like the English phrase 'to catch someone flat-footed.'
  • Military Origins: While it has roots in military strategy regarding surprise attacks, in modern Chinese, it is applied to any unexpected 'happenings' in business, sports, or personal life.
  • Psychological Nuance: Beyond the physical lack of time, it implies a state of being flustered or momentarily paralyzed by the unexpected nature of the event.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

措手不及 (cuò shǒu bù jí) describes a situation where something happens so suddenly that you have no time to deal with it. It is frequently used in the phrase 打了个措手不及 (dǎ le gè cuò shǒu bù jí), meaning 'to catch someone off guard.' Whether in business competition or daily life, it highlights the panic or helplessness caused by a lack of preparation for an unexpected turn of events.

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Level 1Pre-Level 1

Idiom Essay

cuò shǒu bù jí
措手不及
Caught Off Guard
shēng huó生活lǐ里，dà duō shù大多数shí hòu时候，wǒ men我们shì是àn zhào按照jì huà计划zài在zǒu走de的。

Most of the time, we go through life according to plan.

jǐ diǎn几点qǐ chuáng起床，jǐ diǎn几点chū mén出门，yù dào遇到wèn tí问题gāi该zěn me怎么huí dá回答，wǒ men我们xīn lǐ心里dà gài大概dōu都yǒu有gè个zhǔn bèi准备。

We usually have a rough idea of what time to get up, what time to leave, and how to answer when problems arise.

dàn shì但是，shēng huó生活zǒng总xǐ huān喜欢gēn跟wǒ men我们kāi wán xiào开玩笑。

But life always seems to enjoy playing tricks on us.

yǒu shí hòu有时候，shì qíng事情fā shēng发生dé得tài太kuài快、tài太tū rán突然，wán quán完全zài在nǐ你de的yù liào预料zhī wài之外，nà那yī shùn jiān一瞬间，nǐ你kě néng可能nǎo zi脑子yī piàn一片kòng bái空白，gēn běn根本bù不zhī dào知道gāi该zuò做shén me什么。

Sometimes things happen so quickly and unexpectedly, completely outside your expectations. In that moment, your mind may go blank, and you may have no idea what to do.

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个fēi cháng非常xíng xiàng形象de的chéng yǔ成语，yòng lái用来xíng róng形容zhè zhǒng这种gān gà尴尬yòu又huāng luàn慌乱de的zhuàng tài状态，jiào叫“cuò shǒu bù jí措手不及”。

In Chinese, there is a very vivid idiom for describing this awkward and flustered state: “措手不及” (caught off guard).

zhè ge这个cí词de的huà miàn画面gǎn感hěn很qiáng强。

This expression creates a very vivid picture.

“cuò shǒu措手”，yì si意思shì是zhuó shǒu着手qù去chǔ lǐ处理、qù去yìng duì应对；“bù jí不及”，jiù shì就是lái bù jí来不及，gǎn bù shàng赶不上。

“措手” means to begin dealing with or responding to something; “不及” means not having enough time or being unable to keep up.

hé qǐ lái合起来kàn看，jiù shì就是shì qíng事情yǐ jīng已经fā shēng发生le了，kě可nǐ你de的shǒu手hái还méi没shēn chū lái伸出来，wán quán完全gēn bù shàng跟不上jié zòu节奏。

Taken together, it means that something has already happened, but you have not even had time to reach out your hands—you simply cannot keep up with the situation.

tā它hé和“tū rán突然”bù不tài太yī yàng一样。

It is not quite the same as “sudden.”

“tū rán突然”qiáng diào强调shì qíng事情fā shēng发生dé得chū hū yì liào出乎意料；ér而“cuò shǒu bù jí措手不及”gèng更jìn yí bù进一步，qiáng diào强调yīn wèi因为shì qíng事情lái de来得tài太tū rán突然，ràng让rén人gēn běn根本lái bù jí来不及yìng duì应对，yī xià zi一下子luàn le zhèn jiǎo乱了阵脚。

“Sudden” emphasizes that something happens unexpectedly, while “措手不及” goes a step further: it emphasizes that because something comes so suddenly, a person has no time to respond and is thrown into confusion.

xiǎng xiàng想象yī xià一下zhè yàng这样de的chǎng jǐng场景：nǐ你zài在huì yì会议shàng上zhèng正zhǔn bèi准备tīng听bié rén别人fā yán发言，lǎo bǎn老板tū rán突然diǎn míng点名ràng让nǐ你shàng tái上台jiǎng讲liǎng jù两句。

Imagine this scene: You are at a meeting, preparing to listen to someone else speak, when your boss suddenly calls on you to go up and say a few words.

nà那yī kè一刻，nǐ你méi yǒu没有rèn hé任何zhǔn bèi准备，xīn tiào心跳jiā sù加速，bù不zhī dào知道gāi该shuō说shén me什么。

At that moment, you are completely unprepared, your heart starts racing, and you do not know what to say.

huò zhě或者，míng míng明明tiān qì yù bào天气预报shuō说shì是qíng tiān晴天，nǐ你gāng刚zǒu走dào到bàn lù半路，tiān kōng天空què却xià下qǐ起le了dà大bào yǔ暴雨，bǎ把nǐ你lín淋dé得shī tòu湿透。

Or perhaps the weather forecast clearly said it would be sunny, but halfway to your destination, a heavy rainstorm suddenly begins and leaves you soaked.

zhè yàng这样de的tū fā突发zhuàng kuàng状况，wǎng wǎng往往jiù就huì会ràng让wǒ men我们cuò shǒu bù jí措手不及。

Situations like these often leave us caught off guard.

bù guò不过，bìng并bú shì不是suǒ yǒu所有yì wài意外dōu都huì会zào chéng造成zhè zhǒng这种jú miàn局面。

However, not every unexpected event creates this kind of situation.

tóng yàng同样shì是yī cháng一场tū rú qí lái突如其来de的bào yǔ暴雨，méi没dài带sǎn伞de的rén人huì会cuò shǒu bù jí措手不及，ér而xí guàn习惯suí shēn随身dài带sǎn伞de的rén人，què却néng能cóng róng从容yìng duì应对。

If the same sudden rainstorm occurs, someone without an umbrella may be caught off guard, while someone who habitually carries an umbrella can deal with it calmly.

kě jiàn可见，ràng让rén人cuò shǒu bù jí措手不及de的，bù不zhǐ shì只是yì wài意外běn shēn本身，hái yǒu还有fáng bèi防备de的quē shī缺失。

This shows that what catches people off guard is not only the unexpected event itself, but also a lack of preparation.

zài在sài chǎng赛场huò或tán pàn zhuō谈判桌shàng上，rén men人们shèn zhì甚至huì会lì yòng利用zhè这yì diǎn一点，gù yì故意tū rán突然gǎi biàn改变jié zòu节奏，“dǎ打duì fāng对方yí gè一个cuò shǒu bù jí措手不及”，chèn趁duì shǒu对手lái bù jí来不及fǎn yìng反应zhàn占dé得xiān jī先机。

On a sports field or at the negotiating table, people may even take advantage of this by deliberately changing the pace suddenly, “catching the other side off guard” and gaining the upper hand before the opponent has time to react.

dāng rán当然，shēng huó生活lǐ里méi yǒu没有rén人néng能wèi为suǒ yǒu所有biàn huà变化dōu都tí qián提前bèi hǎo备好yī bǎ一把“sǎn伞”。

Of course, in life, no one can prepare an “umbrella” in advance for every possible change.

wǒ men我们zǒng总yǐ wéi以为zì jǐ自己néng能zhǎng kòng掌控quán jú全局，dàn但zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语què却ràng让wǒ men我们kàn dào看到rén lèi人类zhēn shí真实de的yí miàn一面——nǎ pà哪怕jì huà计划zài再zhōu mì周密，yì wài意外yǒu shí有时jiù shì就是huì会bǐ比nǐ你shēn shǒu伸手de的sù dù速度，kuài快shàng上nà me那么yī bù一步。

We always think we can control the whole situation, but this idiom shows us a very real side of humanity: no matter how carefully we plan, sometimes an unexpected event is simply one step faster than we are.

'造句' Feature Usage Guide

造句练习📝

Try creating sentences using '措手不及'!

0/50