Navigation
Grammar Levels
Resources
Expressing 'temporary' with 临时 (línshí)
Structure
临时 + Verb / 临时 + Noun
Explanation
The adverb 临时 (línshí) means "temporary," "temporarily," or "at the last minute," indicating something is not permanent or was arranged on short notice. It can modify verbs as an adverb or nouns as an adjective. It is widely used in both spoken and written Chinese.
Examples
会议室正在维修，我们临时换了一个地方开会。
Huìyìshì zhèngzài wéixiū, wǒmen línshí huàn le yí gè dìfāng kāihuì.
The meeting room is under repair, so we temporarily switched to another place for the meeting.
他是临时被叫来帮忙的，对情况还不太了解。
Tā shì línshí bèi jiào lái bāngmáng de, duì qíngkuàng hái bú tài liǎojiě.
He was called in to help at the last minute and doesn't know the situation well yet.
这个临时方案只能用几天，我们得尽快想个长期的办法。
Zhège línshí fāng'àn zhǐ néng yòng jǐ tiān, wǒmen děi jǐnkuài xiǎng gè chángqī de bànfǎ.
This temporary solution can only last a few days; we need to come up with a long-term plan quickly.