婆婆妈妈 pó po mā mā fussy and procrastinating

Explanation

形容人做事拖拉，说话啰嗦，犹豫不决。也指事情繁琐复杂。

It describes someone who is hesitant, talks for a long time about things, and is indecisive. It can also be applied to complicated matters.

Origin Story

话说江南小镇上住着一位老奶奶，她以缝制精美的旗袍而闻名。小镇上来了位年轻的姑娘想定制一件旗袍，老奶奶欣然答应。可姑娘选布料时，老奶奶总是婆婆妈妈，一会儿说这料子太鲜艳，一会儿又说那料子太素净，姑娘也感到有点不耐烦了，但还是耐心等待，最终终于选定了布料。可是，裁剪时老奶奶又开始婆婆妈妈了，她不断地调整尺寸，仔细地检查每一针每一线，一改再改，姑娘更加不耐烦了，可是，看到老奶奶认真细致的态度，姑娘又觉得很感动。等到旗袍完工那天，姑娘惊叹旗袍的精美，赞不绝口，老奶奶心里也很高兴。从此，姑娘经常来拜访老奶奶，她们成了好朋友。

huā shuō jiāng nán xiǎo zhèn shàng zhù zhe yī wèi lǎo nǎi nai, tā yǐ féng zhì jīng měi de qí páo ér wén míng. xiǎo zhèn shàng lái le wèi nián qīng de gū niang xiǎng dìng zhì yī jiàn qí páo, lǎo nǎi nai xīn rán dā yīng. kě gū niang xuǎn bù liáo shí, lǎo nǎi nai zǒng shì pó po mā mā, yī huì ér shuō zhè liáo zi tài xiān yàn, yī huì ér yòu shuō nà liáo zi tài sù jìng, gū niang yě gǎn dào yǒu diǎn bù nài fán le, dàn hái shì nài xīn děng dài, zuì zhōng zhōng yú xuǎn dìng le bù liáo. kě shì, cái jiǎn shí lǎo nǎi nai yòu kāi shǐ pó po mā mā le, tā bù duàn de tiáo zhěng chǐ cùn, zǐ xì de jiǎn chá měi yī zhēn měi yī xiàn, yī gǎi zài gǎi, gū niang gèng jiā bù nài fán le, kě shì, kàn dào lǎo nǎi nai rèn zhēn xì zhì de tài du, gū niang yòu jué de hěn gǎn dòng. děng dào qí páo wán gōng nà tiān, gū niang jīng tàn qí páo de jīng měi, zàn bù jué kǒu, lǎo nǎi nai xīn lǐ yě hěn gāo xìng. cóng cǐ, gū niang jīng cháng lái bài fǎng lǎo nǎi nai, tāmen chéng le hǎo péng yǒu.

Once upon a time, there lived an old lady in a small town in Jiangnan who was famous for her beautifully made cheongsams. A young girl came to the town to order a cheongsam, and the old lady readily agreed. But when the girl chose the fabric, the old lady kept being fussy, sometimes saying that the fabric was too bright, sometimes that it was too plain. The girl also felt a little impatient, but still waited patiently, and finally chose the fabric. However, when it came to cutting, the old lady started being fussy again. She kept adjusting the size, carefully checking every stitch and every line, changing it again and again. The girl was even more impatient, but seeing the old lady’s serious and meticulous attitude, the girl was also moved. On the day when the cheongsam was finished, the girl marveled at the exquisiteness of the cheongsam and praised it unceasingly, and the old lady was also very happy. From then on, the girl often visited the old lady, and they became good friends.

Usage

用于形容说话做事拖拉、啰嗦、犹豫不决。

yong yu xingrong shuohua zuoshi tuola luosuo youyu bu jue

Used to describe someone who is hesitant, long-winded and indecisive in speaking and acting.

Examples

• 她做事婆婆妈妈的，磨磨蹭蹭半天也完不成

  ta zuo shi popoma ma de, momo chengcheng ban tian ye wan bu cheng

  She is so fussy and procrastinating that she can't finish anything in half a day

Related Idioms

• 唠叨

• 拖拉

Opposite Idioms

• 干脆

• 利落