望而却步 Wàng ér què bù To stand back in awe; to be intimidated

Explanation

望而却步，指的是看到困难或危险就退缩，不敢前进。它形容遇到挑战时缺乏勇气和信心，选择退缩回避。

To stand back in awe; to be intimidated; to be deterred. It describes the lack of courage and confidence when faced with challenges and choosing to retreat and avoid them.

Origin Story

很久以前，在一个小山村里，住着一位名叫阿强的年轻猎户。一天，阿强听说深山老林里出现了一只巨型野猪，这只野猪体型庞大，凶猛无比，已经伤了不少村民。村里人闻之色变，都劝阿强不要去冒险。阿强虽然胆子大，但当他来到深山老林，看到那巨型野猪留下的巨大脚印和被它破坏的树木时，也不禁望而却步。他犹豫再三，最后还是选择了放弃，因为他意识到，虽然他很勇敢，但挑战如此强大，贸然行动很可能导致不必要的牺牲。他决定采取更安全的方法来解决这个问题，最终，阿强成功地利用村民的智慧，以巧妙的计策制服了野猪，保护了村民的安全。

hěn jiǔ yǐqián, zài yīgè xiǎo shān cūn lǐ, zhù zhe yī wèi míng jiào ā qiáng de nián qīng liè hù. yī tiān, ā qiáng tīng shuō shēn shān lǎo lín lǐ chū xiàn le yī zhī jù xíng yě zhū, zhè zhī yě zhū tí xíng páng dà, xiōng měng wú bí, yǐjīng shāng le bù shǎo cūn mín. cūn lǐ rén wén zhī sè biàn, dōu quàn ā qiáng bù yào qù mào xiǎn. ā qiáng suīrán dǎn zi dà, dàn dāng tā lái dào shēn shān lǎo lín, kàn dào nà jù xíng yě zhū liú xià de jù dà jiǎo yìn hé bèi tā pò huài de shù mù shí, yě bù jīn wàng ér què bù. tā yóuyù zài sān, zuìhòu hái shì xuǎnzé le fàng qì, yīnwèi tā yìshí dào, suīrán tā hěn yǒnggǎn, dàn tiǎozhàn rúcǐ qiáng dà, mào rán xíngdòng hěn kěnéng dǎozhì bù bìyào de xīshēng. tā juédìng cǎiqǔ gèng ānquán de fāngfǎ lái jiějué zhège wèntí, zuìzhōng, ā qiáng chénggōng de lìyòng cūn mín de zhìhuì, yǐ qiǎo miào de jìcè zhì fú le yě zhū, bǎohù le cūn mín de ānquán.

Long ago, in a small mountain village, lived a young hunter named Aqiang. One day, Aqiang heard that a giant wild boar had appeared in the deep forest, so large and ferocious that it had already injured many villagers. The villagers were terrified and advised Aqiang not to take the risk. Although Aqiang was brave, when he came to the deep forest and saw the huge footprints of the giant wild boar and the trees it had destroyed, he couldn't help but hesitate. After much deliberation, he finally chose to give up, because he realized that although he was brave, the challenge was so great that rash action could lead to unnecessary sacrifice. He decided to take a safer approach to solve the problem, and in the end, Aqiang successfully used the wisdom of the villagers to outsmart and subdue the wild boar, ensuring the safety of the villagers.

Usage

常用于形容遇到困难或挑战时退缩畏惧的心理状态，也可用作比喻，形容事物令人望而生畏。

cháng yòng yú xíngróng yù dào kùnnán huò tiǎozhàn shí tuìsuō wèijù de xīnlǐ zhuàngtài, yě kě yòng zuò bǐyù, xíngróng shìwù lìng rén wàng ér shēng wèi

Often used to describe the psychological state of shrinking and fear when encountering difficulties or challenges. It can also be used metaphorically to describe things that are intimidating.

Examples

• 面对困难，他却望而却步，失去了成功的机会。

  miàn duì kùnnán, tā què wàng ér què bù, shīqùle chénggōng de jīhuì

  Faced with difficulties, he hesitated and lost the opportunity to succeed.

• 面对高耸的山峰，一些人望而却步，而另一些人则勇往直前。

  miàn duì gāosǒng de shānfēng, yīxiē rén wàng ér què bù, ér lìng yīxiē rén zé yǒng wǎng zhí qián

  Faced with towering mountains, some people flinched, while others forged ahead.

• 他看到那条湍急的河流，望而却步不敢涉足。

  tā kàn dào nà tiáo tuānjí de héliú, wàng ér què bù bù gǎn shèzú

  He saw the swift river and hesitated, unable to cross.

Related Idioms

• 望而生畏

• 畏缩不前

Opposite Idioms

• 勇往直前

• 迎难而上