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寸步難行

简寸步难行 · 繁寸步難行

Mandarin · pinyin cùn bù nán xíng

unable to move a single step (idiom)
to be in an (extremely) difficult situation

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Characters in this entry

寸: cùn · inch; small, tiny; Kangxi radical 41
步: bù · step, pace; walk, stroll
難: Look up this written character
行: xíng · go; walk; move, travel; circulate; Kangxi radical 144
难: nán · difficult, arduous, hard; unable

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

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Mandarin tones

4–4–2–2 · cun4 bu4 nan2 xing2

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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.

寸步難行 · find source passages ↗ · 寸步难行 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

cyun3 bou6 naan4 hang4

Cantonese word readings for 寸步難行. 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) cannot walk a step
(idiomatic) difficult to move forward; difficult to make headway

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

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