📖 Meaning
Unable to wait due to extreme urgency or eagerness. Describes an impatient and eager state of mind where someone feels compelled to act immediately.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Qing Dynasty novel '镜花缘' (Flowers in the Mirror) by Li Ruzhen, Chapter 6. In the passage, the line appears during a scene involving a game played after drinking, where the author questions why a fairy was so impatient that she could not wait. The phrase captures the feeling of being so pressed or eager that one simply cannot hold back. Over time it became a common expression for any situation of impatient anticipation.
💡 Example Usage
他迫不及待地拆开礼物，想看看里面是什么。
He couldn't wait to tear open the gift, eager to see what was inside.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 迫不及待
- Pinyin: pò bù jí dài
- Literal Translation: urgent, not, able, wait
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4