但这战事也耽误不得呀
“the war cannot be delayed.”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
大人虽想帮樊娘子
“Although you want to help Mrs. Fan,”
但这战事也 耽误 不得 呀
“the war cannot be delayed.”
大人
“[Government Office] My Lord!”
“You must prioritize the war over helping Lady Fan, no matter how much you want to.”
In Chinese governance culture, official state responsibilities and military discipline always take precedence over personal relationships or private empathy.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
cannot afford to be delayed
A very common potential complement pattern used to emphasize that a task is extremely urgent and critical.
Softens the urgent reminder while appealing to the listener's reason and empathy.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“This can't be delayed.”
“and the war never ends.”
“If it weren't for this war,”
“we'd better not waste any more time.”
“Whether this war ends or not,”