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迫不及待

Mandarin · pinyin pò bù jí dài

(idiom) unable to hold oneself back; eager to do sth without delay

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Characters in this entry

迫: pò · coerce, force, compel; urgent
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
及: jí · extend; reach; come up to; and
待: dài · treat, entertain, receive; wait

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–4–2–4 · po4 bu4 ji2 dai4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

bik1 bat1 kap6 doi6

Cantonese word readings for 迫不及待. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) impatient; in a hurry; itching to get on with it

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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