畏葸不前 wèi xǐ bù qián hesitate

Explanation

形容因害怕而不敢前进。

Describes someone who does not dare to move forward out of fear.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，有一位名叫李白的诗人，他怀揣着满腔抱负，渴望能够建功立业。一天，他听说边疆战事吃紧，于是便毅然决定前往边关效力。然而，当他来到边关，看到那高耸的城墙，听到那震耳欲聋的战鼓声，内心不禁一阵恐慌。他想到自己文弱书生的身份，想到那残酷的战场，便开始畏葸不前，迟迟不敢踏上战场一步。这时，一位老兵看到了李白的犹豫，他走上前去，语重心长地对李白说：“大丈夫生于天地之间，岂能畏葸不前？大丈夫有所为有所不为！你既然决定来了，就应该勇往直前，为国家尽一份力量！”李白听后，内心深受感动，他不再犹豫，毅然决然地走上了战场，最终用自己的才华和勇气，为国家做出了巨大的贡献。

huà shuō táng cháo shíqī, yǒu yī wèi míng jiào lǐ bái de shī rén, tā huáicuí zhe mǎn qiāng bàofù, kěwàng nénggòu jiàn gōng lìyè. yī tiān, tā tīng shuō biānjiāng zhànshì chī jǐn, yúshì biàn yìrán juédìng qiánwǎng biānguān xiàolì. rán'ér, dāng tā lái dào biānguān, kàn dào nà gāosǒng de chéngqiáng, tīng dào nà zhèn'ěr yúlóng de zhàngǔ shēng, nèixīn bù jīn yī zhèn kǒnghuāng. tā xiǎng dào zìjǐ wénruò shūshēng de shēnfèn, xiǎng dào nà cánkù de zhànchǎng, biàn kāishǐ wèi xǐ bù qián, chíchí bù gǎn tà shàng zhànchǎng yībù. zhè shí, yī wèi lǎobīng kàn dào le lǐ bái de yóuyù, tā zǒu shàng qián qù, yǔ zhòng xīn cháng de duì lǐ bái shuō: “dà zhàngfū shēng yú tiān dì zhī jiān, qǐ néng wèi xǐ bù qián? dà zhàngfū yǒusuǒ wéi yǒusuǒ bù wéi! nǐ jìrán juédìng lái le, jiù yīnggāi yǒng wǎng zhí qián, wèi guójiā jìn yī fèn lìliàng!” lǐ bái tīng hòu, nèixīn shēn shòu gǎndòng, tā bù zài yóuyù, yìrán juéruàn de zǒu shàng le zhànchǎng, zuìzhōng yòng zìjǐ de cáihua hé yǒngqì, wèi guójiā zuò chū le jùdà de gòngxiàn.

In the Tang Dynasty, there was a poet named Li Bai, who was full of ambition and yearned for fame and success. One day, he heard that the border regions were in great danger, and immediately decided to go to the border. However, when he arrived at the border and saw the towering city walls and heard the deafening sound of war drums, a wave of fear swept over him. He thought of his weak scholar's stature and the cruel battlefield, and hesitated to set foot on the battlefield. At this time, an old soldier saw Li Bai's hesitation, he stepped forward and said to Li Bai with heartfelt words: "A man born between heaven and earth, how can he hesitate and not move forward? A man has his principles and responsibilities! Since you've decided to come, you should move forward bravely and do your part for your country!" Li Bai was deeply moved and resolutely stepped onto the battlefield. In the end, he made great contributions to his country with his talent and courage.

Usage

作谓语、宾语、定语；多用于贬义。

zuò wèiyǔ, bǐnyǔ, dìngyǔ; duō yòng yú biǎnyì

Used as a predicate, object, attributive; mostly derogatory.

Examples

• 面对困难，他畏葸不前，最终错失良机。

  miànduì kùnnán, tā wèi xǐ bù qián, zuìzhōng cuòshī liángjī

  In the face of difficulties, he hesitated and missed a good opportunity.

• 面对强敌，他们畏葸不前，最终败下阵来。

  miànduì qiángdí, tāmen wèi xǐ bù qián, zuìzhōng bài xià zhèn lái

  Faced with a strong enemy, they were hesitant and lost in the end.

• 改革开放初期，面对种种挑战，许多人畏葸不前，不敢尝试。

  gǎigé kāifàng chūqī, miànduì zhǒngzhǒng tiǎozhàn, xǔduō rén wèi xǐ bù qián, bù gǎn chángshì

  In the early days of reform and opening up, faced with various challenges, many people hesitated and did not dare to try.

Related Idioms

• 胆怯

• 退缩

• 迟疑

Opposite Idioms

• 勇往直前

• 奋勇当先

• 英勇无畏