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知难而退 (zhī nán ér tuì) — to retreat upon realizing the difficulties; to give up when things get tough

Definition

A chengyu meaning 'to shrink back once you see the difficulty' — usually a negative judgment of giving up too easily. Often paired with 坚持到底 in contrast (see the examples).

idiom
to retreat upon realizing the difficultiesto give up when things get tough

Examples

  • 知难而退，。
    Yù dào yì diǎn kùn nan jiù zhī nán ér tuì, zhè bú shì hǎo xí guàn.
    Giving up at the first sign of difficulty is not a good habit.
  • 知难而退，。
    Tā zuò shì cóng bù zhī nán ér tuì, zǒng shì jiān chí dào dǐ.
    He never retreats from difficulties when doing things; he always persists to the end.
  • ，知难而退。
    Zhè ge xiàng mù fēng xiǎn tài dà, wǒ men zuì hǎo zhī nán ér tuì.
    This project is too risky — we'd better back out.

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