不时之需

不時之需
bùshízhīxū
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 a need that may arise at any time
  2. 2 a possible emergency or unexpected requirement

Examples

HSK 7-9
Duō cún diǎn qián, yǐbèi bùshízhīxū.
Save some extra money for a rainy day.
HSK 7-9
Chē lǐ zǒng bèi yì bǎ sǎn, yǐfáng bùshízhīxū.
I always keep an umbrella in the car in case of unexpected need.
HSK 7-9
Tā bǎ yí bùfen shíwù cáng qǐlái, yǐbèi bùshízhīxū.
He hid part of the food away for any unforeseen need.

Tips

history
From Su Shi's Song-dynasty prose-poem 《后赤壁赋》 (Second Red Cliff Rhapsody): 斗酒不时之需 - 'I have a measure of wine, long stored, awaiting your unexpected need.' The sense 不时 here is 'not at a fixed time' → 'at any moment.'
grammar
Almost always appears in the fixed frame 以备…/以防不时之需 ('to prepare for / guard against an unforeseen need'). Don't use 不时之需 as a standalone noun in casual speech.

Stroke Order

shí
zhī