延迟 (yán chí) — Chinese Word

verb / noun HSK 5

Traditional 延遲

yán chí

to delay · to postpone · delay · latency

Meaning

延迟 means to delay or postpone something, pushing an event or action to a later time. It can function as both a verb (to delay) and a noun (a delay). The word is commonly used in both everyday situations and technical contexts like computing (network delay/latency).

Usage

延迟 is used in formal and informal contexts. In everyday speech, it refers to postponing meetings, flights, or deadlines. In technical language, especially IT and telecommunications, it refers to latency or lag. It's slightly more formal than colloquial alternatives like 推迟 (tuī chí). Often used with time expressions or reasons for the delay.

Examples

01
由于天气原因，航班延迟了两个小时。
Yóu yú tiān qì yuán yīn, háng bān yán chí le liǎng gè xiǎo shí.
Due to weather conditions, the flight was delayed by two hours.
02
这个项目的完成时间可能会延迟。
Zhè ge xiàng mù de wán chéng shí jiān kě néng huì yán chí.
The completion time for this project may be delayed.

Characters

Common collocations

延迟时间
yán chí shí jiān
delay time
网络延迟
wǎng luò yán chí
network latency
延迟到
yán chí dào
to postpone until
被延迟
bèi yán chí
to be delayed

Antonyms

Origin

延 originally meant to extend or stretch out, while 迟 means late or slow. Together they form a compound meaning to extend time or make something late.