急不可耐 (jí bù kě nài) — unable to bear any delay; too impatient to wait

Definition

A vivid chengyu meaning 'too impatient to wait a moment longer' — stronger than just 着急, with a literary, four-character feel often used in writing.

idiom

unable to bear any delaytoo impatient to wait

急不可耐。
Tā tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi hòu jí bù kě nài dì bēn xiàng chē zhàn.
After hearing the news, he rushed to the station, unable to wait any longer.
急不可耐。
Guān zhòng men jí bù kě nài dì děng dài zhe diàn yǐng de shǒu yìng.
The audience waited impatiently for the film's premiere.
急不可耐，。
Tā jí bù kě nài dì chāi kāi xìn jiàn, xiǎng zhī dào jié guǒ.
She tore open the letter, too impatient to know the result.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

及

Same sound today

急 pairs 心 (heart) with 及, 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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

丂

丂kǎo可kě

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

可 pairs 口 (mouth) with 丂 as a sound part; it is tied to air from the mouth, perhaps singing.

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

而寸耐

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

而

而ér耐nài

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

耐 puts 而 on the left and 寸 on the right: 而 gives the sound, and 寸 gives the sense.