拖拖拉拉 (tuō tuō lā lā) — dragging one's feet; slow and procrastinating; sluggish (in doing things)
Definition
A vivid reduplication describing someone who works in a slow, sluggish, dawdling way — delaying rather than getting on with it. Use for people, teams, or work habits, not for physical slowness.
bound form
dragging one's feetslow and procrastinatingsluggish (in doing things)
Examples
- 拖拖拉拉，。Tā zuò shì zǒng shì tuō tuō lā lā de, ràng rén hěn zháo jí.He always drags his feet when doing things, which makes people anxious.
- 拖拖拉拉，。Bié tuō tuō lā lā dì zuò zuò yè le, zǎo diǎn xiě wán zǎo diǎn wán.Stop doing your homework so slowly; finish it early so you can play early.
- 拖拖拉拉。Zhè ge xiàng mù yīn wèi tuán duì tuō tuō lā lā ér yán wù le gōng qī.This project was delayed because the team was dragging their feet.
Appears in
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