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躊躇不前

简踌躇不前 · 繁躊躇不前

Mandarin · pinyin chóu chú bù qián

to hesitate to move forward
to hesitate
to hold back

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Characters in this entry

躊: Look up this written character
躇: chú · hesitate, falter, be undecided
不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
前: qián · in front, forward; preceding
踌: chóu · hesitate, falter; smug, self-satisfied

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

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Mandarin tones

2–2–4–2 · chou2 chu2 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.

躊躇不前 · find source passages ↗ · 踌躇不前 · find source passages ↗

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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 be hesitant or indecisive; to waver; to shilly-shally

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

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