支支吾吾 (zhī zhī wú wú) — to be evasive; to hem and haw; to mumble inarticulately
Definition
A vivid onomatopoeic phrase meaning to hem and haw, mumble evasively, or stall when answering. Used like an adverb (说话支支吾吾的) or a verb (他支支吾吾了半天).
bound form
to be evasiveto hem and hawto mumble inarticulately
Examples
- 支支吾吾，。Tā shuō huà zhī zhī wú wú de, kěn dìng yǒu shì mán zhe wǒ men.He's hemming and hawing — he must be hiding something from us.
- ，支支吾吾。Lǎo shī wèn tā wèi shén me méi jiāo zuò yè, tā zhī zhī wú wú le bàn tiān.The teacher asked why he didn't hand in his homework, and he hemmed and hawed for a long time.
- 支支吾吾，。Bié zhī zhī wú wú de, zhí jiē gào sù wǒ zhēn xiàng.Stop beating around the bush and tell me the truth directly.
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