措手不及

cuò shǒu bù jí

HSK level: HSK 7–9

Meaning

no time to deal with it (idiom); caught unprepared

Learn in the app → Write in stroke order

Characters

措cuòto arrange; to execute on; to manage扌昔手shǒuhand 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix一及jíto extend; to reach; and; in time又