裹足不前
guǒ​zú​bù​qián

to hesitate and hold back

  • created sense approved 裹足不前 · guǒ​zú​bù​qián · to hesitate and hold back — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    裹足不前

    guǒ​zú​bù​qián

    to hesitate and hold back

    (idiom) to stand still without advancing; to be unwilling to move forward due to fear or misgivings. Literally means wrapping one's feet and being unable to walk.

    裹足 (literal) → 裹足 · guǒ​zú · to hesitate 不 (literal) → 不 · bù · not 前 (literal) → 前 · qián · to move forward

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense