遥遥无期
yáo yáo wú qī
with no end in sight; nowhere near happening
Character by character
遥yáo
far
far
遥yáo
far
far
无wú
no
no
期qī
date
date
Example
工程一拖再拖，地铁通车的日子似乎遥遥无期。
The project keeps being put off, and the day the metro opens seems nowhere in sight.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Said of something people are waiting or hoping for: 归期遥遥无期, 等待遥遥无期, often with 似乎 or 变得. Its opposite is 指日可待, “just a matter of days”.
Learn this in Lesson 157 · HSK 7–9: 器官捐献 (Organ donation)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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