临阵退缩 línzhèntuìsuō to get cold feet Origin Definitions Defs Strokes Stroke Words Sentences Sents 临阵 臨陣 línzhèn before a battle Just before going into battle; at a critical juncture; on the verge of battle退缩 退縮 tuìsuō verb to shrink back to shrink back or flinch; to cower or retreat from a difficult or frightening situation; to balk