The New Dictionary.
Search dictionary
Chinese/Dictionary entry

下不来台

xià bù lái táidictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to be put on the spot / to find oneself in an awkward situation
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-a454e21a1f7b4b72. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

下不來臺 下不来台 [xia4 bu4 lai2 tai2] /to be put on the spot/to find oneself in an awkward situation/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 下不來臺

  • 下
    xià

    down / downwards / below / lower / later / next (week etc) / second (of two parts) / to decline / to go down / to arrive at (a decision, conclusion etc) / measure word to show the frequency of an action

  • 不
    bù

    no / not so / (bound form) not / un-

  • 来
    lái

    to come / (used as a substitute for a more specific verb) / hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[huí lai]) / ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zì gǔ yǐ lái]) / for the past (amount of time) / (prefix) the coming ... / the next ... (as in 來世|来世[lái shì]) / (between two verbs) in order to / (after a round number) approximately / (used after 得[dé] to indicate possibility, as in 談得來|谈得来[tán de lái], or after 不[bù] to indicate impossibility, as in 吃不來|吃不来[chī bu lái])

  • 台
    tāi

    used in place names

    tái

    (classical) you (in letters) / desk / table / counter / platform / stage / terrace / stand / support / station / broadcasting station / classifier for vehicles or machines / typhoon

    Tái

    Taiwan (abbr.) / surname Tai

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.