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望而卻步

简望而却步 · 繁望而卻步

Mandarin · pinyin wàng ér què bù

(lit.) to shrink back at the sight of (sth daunting) (idiom)
(fig.) to be deterred

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Characters in this entry

望: wàng · to look at, look forward; to hope, expect
而: ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
卻: Look up this written character
步: bù · step, pace; walk, stroll
却: què · still, but; decline; retreat

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

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Mandarin tones

4–2–4–4 · wang4 er2 que4 bu4

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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.

望而卻步 · find source passages ↗ · 望而却步 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

mong6 ji4 koek3 bou6

Cantonese word readings for 望而卻步. 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 shirk at the sight of danger

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

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