# 应接不暇

yìng jiē bù xiá

Have more to attend to than one can manage

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** No leisure to receive and respond

**Traditional Chinese:** 應接不暇

**Register:** Standard · expressive

[Effort & growth](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/effort)

## When to use it

Use for overwhelming demands or abundant sights.

Can express delight or strain.

## Understanding the expression

There is no spare moment between one thing arriving and the next. That may mean too many customers, messages, or tasks to handle, but it can also describe beautiful scenery appearing faster than the viewer can appreciate it. The expression therefore has either a stressful or delighted tone depending on its subject. It emphasizes the volume and pace of incoming experiences, rather than a person’s lack of skill.

## Examples

电话不断，她应接不暇。

### Traditional Chinese

電話不斷，她應接不暇。

diàn huà bú duàn ， tā yìng jiē bù xiá 。

The calls kept coming, leaving her unable to keep up.

沿途美景让人应接不暇。

### Traditional Chinese

沿途美景讓人應接不暇。

yán tú měi jǐng ràng rén yìng jiē bù xiá 。

Beautiful sights along the route came too quickly to take them all in.

周末顾客太多，店员应接不暇。

### Traditional Chinese

週末顧客太多，店員應接不暇。

zhōu mò gù kè tài duō ， diàn yuán yìng jiē bù xiá 。

There were so many weekend customers that the staff could hardly cope.

展品丰富，我们看得应接不暇。

### Traditional Chinese

展品豐富，我們看得應接不暇。

zhǎn pǐn fēng fù ， wǒ men kàn dé yìng jiē bù xiá 。

The exhibits were so abundant that we could barely take everything in.

## 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=%E6%87%89%E6%8E%A5%E4%B8%8D%E6%9A%87)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=725&webMd=1&la=0)

## Keep exploring

- [有声有色 yǒu shēng yǒu sè Be vivid, engaging, and lively ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/you-sheng-you-se)

- [有始无终 yǒu shǐ wú zhōng Begin something but fail to carry it through ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/you-shi-wu-zhong)

- [有条不紊 yǒu tiáo bù wěn Proceed in an orderly, methodical way ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/you-tiao-bu-wen)

- [有志竟成 yǒu zhì jìng chéng Determined effort can achieve a goal ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/you-zhi-jing-cheng)

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