犹犹豫豫 (yóu yóu yù yù) — hesitant; indecisive; wavering (in manner or ch…

Definition

A vivid reduplication meaning 'hesitant and wavering', describing a person who can't make up their mind. Compared with plain 犹豫, the doubled form emphasizes the drawn-out, on-and-off quality of the hesitation.

bound form

hesitantindecisivewavering (in manner or character)

Examples

犹犹豫豫，。
Tā zuò shì zǒng shì yóu yóu yù yù de, ràng rén zháo jí.
He's always hesitant when doing things, which makes people anxious.
犹犹豫豫，！
Bié yóu yóu yù yù le, kuài zuò jué dìng ba!
Stop wavering and make a decision already!
犹犹豫豫，。
Tā yóu yóu yù yù le bàn tiān, zuì hòu hái shì méi qù.
She hesitated for a long time, and in the end still didn't go.

Origin

Reduplicated word

构词法gòucífǎ

重叠chóngdiéReduplication

A syllable said twice — for affection, for softness, or simply because that is how the word is said.

犹犹hesitant

犹yóuhesitate犹yóuhesitate

重叠Reduplication

豫豫hesitant

豫yùhesitate豫yùhesitate

重叠Reduplication

犹犹 and 豫豫 repeat the sense of 犹豫, giving a stronger hesitant manner.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 猶; 犹 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

犬犬quǎndog

Sound part声符shēngfú

酋

酋qiú猶yóu

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 猶 combines 犬 (dog) with 酋 as a sound part, and the evidence identifies it as a kind of monkey. The simplified 犹 is a shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 犹 →