措手不及
- Literal
- not getting one's hands to it in time
- Figurative
- To be caught by something so sudden that there is no time to react or get ready.
Where does 措手不及 come from?
There is no particular story behind it: the parts explain themselves. 措手 means "to put one's hands to the matter," to start reacting, and 不及 "not to make it in time." Together they picture someone hit before he can lift a finger. It is a vernacular formula, long settled in spoken-language drama and fiction, and it is common today in conversation and in the press alike.
How is 措手不及 used? Two examples
- 他突然辞职，让整个团队措手不及。
He quit out of the blue and caught the whole team off guard.
- 考试题型突然换了，很多同学都措手不及。
The exam format changed with no warning, and plenty of students had no time to get ready.
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