有事

yǒushì

verb HSK 6 #8,169

Meanings

1 to be busy; to have something to do
2 something is up; there's a matter/problem

Characters

to have; there is

matter; thing; affair

To have a matter — to be occupied or have something going on.

Examples

我今天有事，不能去了。

Wǒ jīntiān yǒushì, bùnéng qù le.

I have something to do today, I can't go.

你有事吗？看你不太开心。

Nǐ yǒushì ma? Kàn nǐ bùtài kāixīn.

Is something up? You don't look very happy.

有事请打电话给我。

Yǒushì qǐng dǎdiànhuà gěi wǒ.

If anything comes up, please call me.

没事没事，我没有事。

Méishì méishì, wǒ méiyǒu shì.

It's nothing, I'm fine.

Tips

usage

有事 is a very common polite way to decline invitations without giving specifics — like saying 'I have something to do' in English. The opposite 没事 (méi shì) means 'no problem' or 'I'm fine.'

Stroke Order

有 yǒu

事 shì