<p>開心都嚟唔切 is not a set-phrase, per se, but a clause made up of different words.</p>
<p>If we look up the different usages of 嚟唔切 we can get an idea of what the sentence means.</p>
<p><strong>嚟唔切</strong></p>
<p><strong>ABC Canto</strong></p>
<blockquote>
<p>R.V.<br />
to be unable to arrive in time; to be too late (for something)</p>
<p>時間比較趕,所以我嚟唔切交功課<br />
si4 gaan3 bei2 gaau3 gon2, so2 ji5 ngo5 lai4 m4 cit3 gaau1 gung1 fo3<br />
The time was relatively hurried, so I couldn't arrive in time to turn in my homework</p>
<p>到老嗰陣你後悔都嚟唔切喇<br />
dou3 lou5 go2 zan6 nei5 hau6 fui3 dou1 lai4 m4 cit3 laa3<br />
When you become old it's too late for you to feel regret</p>
<p>老婆走咗,恨都嚟唔切㗎喇<br />
lou5 po4 zau2 zo2, han6 dou1 lai4 m4 cit3 gaa3 laa3<br />
If your wife runs away, it will be too late for you to regret it</p>
<p>See also 嚟 lai4 唔切 m4 cit3</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong><a href="https://cantonese.org/search.php?q=%E5%9A%9F%E5%94%94%E5%88%87" rel="nofollow noreferrer">CC-Canto</a></strong></p>
<blockquote>
<p>JP lai2 m4 cit3<br />
not being able to make it in time</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>广州话方言词典</strong></p>
<blockquote>
<p>來不及。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Mandarin equivalent would be 开心都来不及了. This equates to something like, &quot;couldn't be happier.&quot; Sometimes it can be used sarcastically so you'd need to take a closer look at the context.</p>
<hr />
<p>Barbie on <a href="https://www.italki.com/post/question-462928" rel="nofollow noreferrer">italki</a> addresses this usage of 來不及:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>來不及 in this sentence means &quot;you're too happy to think about anything else.&quot; Literally, you only have time to be happy and have no time for other things.</p>
<p>More examples:<br />
失去了心愛的人，他傷心都來不及了（怎麼還會想再去約會呢）</p>
<p>得到了一千萬，他開心都來不及了（怎麼還會想再繼續工作呢）</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-03T16:27:54.953Z
2022-08-03T16:38:08.880Z
2022-08-03T16:38:08.880Z
Mou某
<p>XX都嚟唔切 /XX都來不及 = excessively XX</p>
<p>嚟唔切 (can't make it in time) --&gt; in a hurry --&gt; urgent --&gt; take priority --&gt; ignore everything else --&gt; excessively</p>
<p>開心都嚟唔切 = excessively happy; couldn't be happier</p>
<p>other examples of v + 唔切</p>
<p>走唔切 = can't get away in time</p>
<p>走都走唔切 =  urgently getaway</p>
<p>走唔切(can't get away in time) --&gt; get away in a hurry--&gt; urgently getaway</p>
<p>~</p>
<p>做唔切 = can't keep up with the work</p>
<p>做都做唔切 = urgently work</p>
<p>做唔切(can't keep up with the work) --&gt; work in a hurry --&gt; urgently work</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-03T19:20:03.220Z
2022-08-03T19:26:05.923Z
2022-08-03T19:26:05.923Z
Tang Ho
<p>I searched Google and the results were only 嚟唔切 and not 開心都嚟唔切.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-04T03:01:09.227Z
Quote:- "I searched Google and the results were only 嚟唔切...", that's because you could put almost anything "in front" of this Cantonese double entendre, depending on which "entendre"  you want to convey in a certain context. How about 死都嚟唔切?
Wayne Cheah
<cantonese>
What does 開心都嚟唔切 mean in Cantonese?
# What does 開心都嚟唔切 mean in Cantonese?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-08-03)

I searched Google and the results were only 嚟唔切 and not 開心都嚟唔切.

**Tags:** cantonese

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Quote:- "I searched Google and the results were only 嚟唔切...", that's because you could put almost anything "in front" of this Cantonese double entendre, depending on which "entendre"  you want to convey in a certain context. How about 死都嚟唔切?  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2022-08-03. Score: 1

開心都嚟唔切 is not a set-phrase, per se, but a clause made up of different words.

If we look up the different usages of 嚟唔切 we can get an idea of what the sentence means.

**嚟唔切**

**ABC Canto**

> R.V.  
> to be unable to arrive in time; to be too late (for something)
>
> 時間比較趕,所以我嚟唔切交功課  
> si4 gaan3 bei2 gaau3 gon2, so2 ji5 ngo5 lai4 m4 cit3 gaau1 gung1 fo3  
> The time was relatively hurried, so I couldn't arrive in time to turn in my homework
>
> 到老嗰陣你後悔都嚟唔切喇  
> dou3 lou5 go2 zan6 nei5 hau6 fui3 dou1 lai4 m4 cit3 laa3  
> When you become old it's too late for you to feel regret
>
> 老婆走咗,恨都嚟唔切㗎喇  
> lou5 po4 zau2 zo2, han6 dou1 lai4 m4 cit3 gaa3 laa3  
> If your wife runs away, it will be too late for you to regret it
>
> See also 嚟 lai4 唔切 m4 cit3

**[CC-Canto](https://cantonese.org/search.php?q=%E5%9A%9F%E5%94%94%E5%88%87)**

> JP lai2 m4 cit3  
> not being able to make it in time

**广州话方言词典**

> 來不及。

The Mandarin equivalent would be 开心都来不及了. This equates to something like, "couldn't be happier." Sometimes it can be used sarcastically so you'd need to take a closer look at the context.

---

Barbie on [italki](https://www.italki.com/post/question-462928) addresses this usage of 來不及:

> 來不及 in this sentence means "you're too happy to think about anything else." Literally, you only have time to be happy and have no time for other things.
>
> More examples:  
> 失去了心愛的人，他傷心都來不及了（怎麼還會想再去約會呢）
>
> 得到了一千萬，他開心都來不及了（怎麼還會想再繼續工作呢）


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2022-08-03. Score: 0

XX都嚟唔切 /XX都來不及 = excessively XX

嚟唔切 (can't make it in time) --> in a hurry --> urgent --> take priority --> ignore everything else --> excessively

開心都嚟唔切 = excessively happy; couldn't be happier

other examples of v + 唔切

走唔切 = can't get away in time

走都走唔切 = urgently getaway

走唔切(can't get away in time) --> get away in a hurry--> urgently getaway

~

做唔切 = can't keep up with the work

做都做唔切 = urgently work

做唔切(can't keep up with the work) --> work in a hurry --> urgently work


---

