忙不迭 (máng bù dié) — hurriedly, in a rush (with a sense of eagerness…

Definition

A set adverb meaning 'hurriedly, in a rush', with a strong sense of eagerness or scramble to act. Always precedes the verb.

adverb

hurriedlyin a rush (with a sense of eagerness or obligation)

，忙不迭。
Tīng dào yǒu rén qiāo mén, tā máng bù dié qù kāi mén.
Hearing someone knock, he hurried to open the door.
，忙不迭。
Kè rén lái le, zhǔ rén máng bù dié dǎo chá.
When the guest arrived, the host hurriedly poured tea.
，忙不迭。
Lǎo shī yì tí wèn, tā máng bù dié jǔ shǒu huí dá.
As soon as the teacher asked a question, he hurriedly raised his hand to answer.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

忄亡忙

Meaning part形符xíngfú

忄Written in full as心xīn

Sound part声符shēngfú

亡

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

忙 pairs 忄 (heart) with 亡, which gives the sound.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

辶失迭

Meaning part形符xíngfú

辶Written in full as辵chuò

Sound part声符shēngfú

失

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

迭 combines 辶, written in full as 辵, with 失 as its sound component.