吃不上

• Pinyin: chī bu shàng
• Hanzi breakdown: 吃 = 口 (mouth) + 乞 (beg) = to eat; 不上 = unable to achieve

Meaning

Unable to eat; cannot afford to eat; to miss a meal. To lack access to food.

Can indicate inability due to poverty, time constraints, or circumstances. The potential complement 不上 suggests the action cannot be achieved or reached.

Examples

1. 他小时候家里穷，经常吃不上饭。 When he was young, his family was poor and often couldn't afford to eat.
2. 工作太忙，中午常常吃不上饭。 Work is so busy that I often miss lunch.
3. 因为堵车，我赶不上食堂，今天吃不上午饭了。 Because of the traffic jam, I couldn't make it to the cafeteria and will miss lunch today.

Usage Guide

Context: poverty, busy life, circumstances

Tone: matter-of-fact

Do Say

• 再不走就吃不上饭了。(If we don't leave now, we'll miss the meal.)
• 以前吃不上肉，现在天天都能吃到。(We used to not be able to afford meat; now we can have it every day.)

Don't Say

• 我不饿所以吃不上 (吃不上 implies external inability, not personal choice — use 不想吃 for not wanting to eat)

Origin & History

Verb-complement structure: 吃 (to eat) + 不上 (unable to achieve/reach). Part of the productive 'V不上' pattern.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal