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verb / noun HSK 5
Traditional 延誤
yán wù
to delay · to hold up · delay (noun)

Meaning

延误 means to delay or be delayed, often used in contexts involving transportation, schedules, or appointments. As a verb, it indicates causing something to be late or postponed. As a noun, it refers to the delay itself, especially in formal or official contexts like flight delays or project delays.

Usage

Commonly used in transportation contexts (flights, trains), business settings, and formal announcements. It carries a somewhat formal or official tone. Often appears in passive constructions or as a noun describing the state of being delayed. Frequently used with 航班 (flight), 时间 (time), or 工期 (project timeline).

Examples

  1. 01
    由于天气原因，我们的航班延误了三个小时。
    Yóu yú tiān qì yuán yīn, wǒ men de háng bān yán wù le sān gè xiǎo shí.
    Due to weather conditions, our flight was delayed for three hours.
  2. 02
    这个项目不能再延误了，必须按时完成。
    Zhè gè xiàng mù bù néng zài yán wù le, bì xū àn shí wán chéng.
    This project cannot be delayed any further; it must be completed on time.

Characters

Common collocations

  • 航班延误
    háng bān yán wù
    flight delay
  • 延误时间
    yán wù shí jiān
    to delay time, time delay
  • 造成延误
    zào chéng yán wù
    to cause a delay
  • 严重延误
    yán zhòng yán wù
    serious delay

Antonyms

Origin

The combination of 延 (extend) and 误 (miss/err) creates the meaning of extending time in a way that causes one to miss a deadline or appointment.

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