迫不及待

pòbù-jídài
idiom HSK 7-9 #5,005

Meanings

  1. 1 can't wait
  2. 2 impatient
  3. 3 eager

Examples

HSK 3
Háizi men pòbù-jídài de dǎkāi le lǐwù.
The children couldn't wait to open their presents.
HSK 4
Wǒ pòbù-jídài xiǎng qù lǚxíng.
I can't wait to go traveling.

Tips

memory
迫 (pressed/urgent) + 不及 (cannot reach) + 待 (to wait) - so urgent you cannot even manage to wait. Picture someone so excited they're already running before the starting whistle.
grammar
迫不及待 is used as an adverb before a verb, often with 地: 迫不及待地 + verb. Can also be used as a predicate: 我已经迫不及待了。

Stroke Order

迫 pò
不 bù
及 jí
待 dài