# 青黄不接

qīng huáng bù jiē

Face a gap between old and new resources

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** The yellow crop fails to last until the green

**Traditional Chinese:** 青黃不接

**Register:** Concerned · formal

[Change & possibility](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/change)

## When to use it

Describe a temporary shortage during transition.

Often resources or talent, not any lasting scarcity.

## Understanding the expression

Stored grain from one harvest runs out before the next crop is ready. The image describes a gap between an old supply and its replacement. Modern use applies to staffing, skills, funding, or production during a transition. A team may lose senior members before new ones are trained. The problem is timing as well as quantity, so advance preparation and overlap can help prevent the shortage from becoming severe.

## Examples

老员工退休后，团队青黄不接。

### Traditional Chinese

老員工退休後，團隊青黃不接。

lǎo yuán gōng tuì xiū hòu ， tuán duì qīng huáng bù jiē 。

After senior staff retired, the team lacked ready replacements.

资金到账前，我们青黄不接。

### Traditional Chinese

資金到賬前，我們青黃不接。

zī jīn dào zhàng qián ， wǒ men qīng huáng bù jiē 。

We face a funding gap before the payment arrives.

青年演员不足，剧团青黄不接。

### Traditional Chinese

青年演員不足，劇團青黃不接。

qīng nián yǎn yuán bù zú ， jù tuán qīng huáng bù jiē 。

The troupe lacks younger actors to replace older ones.

提前培养新人可避免青黄不接。

### Traditional Chinese

提前培養新人可避免青黃不接。

tí qián péi yǎng xīn rén kě bì miǎn qīng huáng bù jiē 。

Training newcomers early can prevent a staffing gap.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E9%9D%92%E9%BB%83%E4%B8%8D%E6%8E%A5)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=205&webMd=1&la=0)

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