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停滯不前

简停滞不前 · 繁停滯不前

Mandarin · pinyin tíng zhì bù qián

stuck and not moving forward (idiom); stagnant
in a rut
at a standstill

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Characters in this entry

停: tíng · stop, suspend, delay; suitable
滯: Look up this written character
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
前: qián · in front, forward; preceding
滞: zhì · block up, obstruct; stagnant

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2–4–4–2 · ting2 zhi4 bu4 qian2

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

停滯不前 · find source passages ↗ · 停滞不前 · find source passages ↗

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Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ting4 zai6 bat1 cin4

Cantonese word readings for 停滯不前. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to cease developing and be unable to progress; stagnant

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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