顾得上／顾不上 gù de shàng／gù bu shàng

顾得上／顾不上（gù de shàng／gù bu shàng）means “to be able / unable to attend to (spare attention for) something”. '顾得上' means one has the time or energy to attend to something, and '顾不上' means one is too busy to see to it. Formation: 顾得上／顾不上（固定短语，常接 忙得…）

to be able / unable to attend to (spare attention for) something

HSK6

Formation

顾得上／顾不上（固定短语，常接 忙得…）

Explanation

'顾得上' means one has the time or energy to attend to something, and '顾不上' means one is too busy to see to it. It stresses whether you can spare attention amid other demands. '顾不上' is especially common, often after 忙得 (so busy that…).

Examples

他忙得顾不上吃饭。
tā máng de gù bu shàng chī fàn
He's so busy he can't even find time to eat.
工作再忙也得顾得上家里。
gōng zuò zài máng yě děi gù de shàng jiā lǐ
No matter how busy work is, you still have to make time for your family.

Note

Often follows 忙得: 忙得顾不上… (too busy to even…).

FAQ

顾得上／顾不上 — what does it mean and how is it used?

to be able / unable to attend to (spare attention for) something. '顾得上' means one has the time or energy to attend to something, and '顾不上' means one is too busy to see to it. It stresses whether you can spare attention amid other demands. '顾不上' is especially common, often after 忙得 (so busy that…).

顾得上／顾不上 — how do you form it?

顾得上／顾不上（固定短语，常接 忙得…）

顾得上／顾不上 — any usage notes?

Often follows 忙得: 忙得顾不上… (too busy to even…).

Learn in the app →