chǐ​huò​zhī​qū

temporary setback

尺蠖之屈 chǐ​huò​zhī​qū
temporary setback
Literally meaning the coiling of an inchworm; used to describe a temporary retreat or submission intended as preparation for a future expansion or success. This idiom suggests making a small sacrifice or enduring a setback in order to succeed later.

Frequency

Written text
0.003 per million

Sources

Frequency data
BCC Corpus (BLCU)