cou3 sau2 bat1 kap6措手不及

Jyutpingcou3 sau2 bat1 kap6

Yalechou sáu bāt kahp

語句

Definition

Caught unprepared; not fast enough to respond to or deal with a sudden situation.

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How it's used

This idiom describes a state of being caught unprepared by a sudden event or change. It is frequently used with the verb 畀, as in 畀人措手不及, to emphasize being the victim of someone else's unexpected action. While it originates from literary Chinese, it is fully integrated into daily spoken Cantonese.

Examples

keoi5佢dat6突jin4然gaan1間man6問ngo5我，gaau2搞dou3到ngo5我cou3措sau2手bat1不kap6及。

He asked me suddenly, which caught me off guard.

nei5你gam3咁joeng6樣zou6做，zan1真hai6係ling3令ngo5我cou3措sau2手bat1不kap6及aa1呀。

Doing it this way really caught me off guard.

Common phrases

saat3殺go3個cou3措sau2手bat1不kap6及

to catch someone completely off guard

Common mistake

Learners often mistake this for a simple adjective, but it functions as a verb phrase describing a reaction. It is not used to describe a person who is habitually slow or unorganized, but rather someone surprised by a specific, sudden occurrence.