DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

踏步不前

Mandarin · pinyin tà bù bù qián

to be at a standstill
to mark time

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Characters in this entry

踏: tà · step on, trample, tread on, walk
步: bù · step, pace; walk, stroll
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
前: qián · in front, forward; preceding

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

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Mandarin tones

4–4–4–2 · ta4 bu4 bu4 qian2

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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.

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