来不及 lái bu jí
“there's not enough time (to do sth); it's too late (to do sth)”
verbHSK 4 · 2021 list level 4Traditional 來不及
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
来不及 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 1450: 来不及 láibují — Level 4; official annotation 4 (动). PDF page 116
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 来不及
来不及 means there is not enough time to do something, or it is too late to do it. It is usually followed by a verb or verb phrase, often with 了 at the end: 来不及 + verb + 了. It can also stand alone as 来不及了, meaning “it’s too late.”
例句Example sentences
- 火车快开了，我来不及买水了。huǒ chē kuài kāi le, wǒ lái bù jí mǎi shuǐ le.The train is about to leave; I don't have time to buy water.
- 现在出发还来得及，再晚就来不及了。xiàn zài chū fā huán lái de jí, zài wǎn jiù lái bù jí le.If we leave now, we still have time; any later and it'll be too late.
- 太晚了，来不及去学校了。tài wǎn le, lái bù jí qù xué xiào le.It's too late; there's no time to go to school.