<p>Cannot use them interchangeably. '及时' is just 'in time/without delay', '临时' is unplanned, not always similar to 'immediately'.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-03-04T06:51:06.997Z
2014-03-12T22:34:22.157Z
2014-03-12T22:34:22.157Z
Daniel
<p><code>临时</code> means <code>unplanned</code> </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>他临时改变了计划,He changes the plan temporally.</p>
  
  <p>It means he does not stick with the origin plan, and sometimes the
  newest plan is often bad.</p>
</blockquote>

<p><code>及时</code> means <code>timely</code></p>

<blockquote>
  <p>他及时改变了计划  He changes his plan timely.</p>
  
  <p>It means thanks to his wisdom, he changes his plan or something bad
  will happen.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-03-13T11:05:12.540Z
2014-03-13T11:05:12.540Z
Ave Maleficum
<p>临时 (臨時) = Temporary</p>

<p>及时 (及時) = in time</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-08T07:42:24.270Z
2015-08-08T07:42:24.270Z
Delay No More
<p>Recently I read the following dialogue:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A: 今天有转校生要来吗？</p>
<p>B: 听说是这样，好象是临时决定的，所以才没有及时通知我们。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As I was trying to make out what they were saying, I noticed that 临时 and 及时 have similar meanings. The former seems to mean &quot;at the instant something happens&quot; or &quot;ad hoc&quot; while the latter seems to mean &quot;promptly&quot; or &quot;without delay.&quot;</p>
<p>I have a feeling that in the second sentence, replacing &quot;好象是临时决定的&quot; with &quot;好象是及时决定的&quot; would also work.</p>
<p>What's the difference between them, and when should I use one over the other?</p>

<word-choice><difference>
When would one use 临时 versus 及时?
# When would one use 临时 versus 及时?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-03-04)

Recently I read the following dialogue:

> A: 今天有转校生要来吗？
>
> B: 听说是这样，好象是临时决定的，所以才没有及时通知我们。

As I was trying to make out what they were saying, I noticed that 临时 and 及时 have similar meanings. The former seems to mean "at the instant something happens" or "ad hoc" while the latter seems to mean "promptly" or "without delay."

I have a feeling that in the second sentence, replacing "好象是临时决定的" with "好象是及时决定的" would also work.

What's the difference between them, and when should I use one over the other?

**Tags:** word-choice, difference


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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2014-03-04. Score: 4

Cannot use them interchangeably. '及时' is just 'in time/without delay', '临时' is unplanned, not always similar to 'immediately'.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2014-03-13. Score: 3

`临时` means `unplanned`

> 他临时改变了计划,He changes the plan temporally.
>
> It means he does not stick with the origin plan, and sometimes the
> newest plan is often bad.

`及时` means `timely`

> 他及时改变了计划 He changes his plan timely.
>
> It means thanks to his wisdom, he changes his plan or something bad
> will happen.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2015-08-08. Score: 1

临时 (臨時) = Temporary

及时 (及時) = in time


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