磕磕绊绊 (kē kē bàn bàn) — (of a road) bumpy, rough, full of obstacles; (of a person) limping, stumbling while walking; (figurative) full of difficulties, rough (as in a phase of life or a project)
Definition
Describes a road as bumpy and rough, a person as limping or stumbling, or — figuratively — a stretch of life or work as full of small difficulties. The reduplicated form emphasizes the ongoing, halting quality of the experience.
verb
(of a road) bumpyroughfull of obstacles(of a person) limpingstumbling while walking(figurative) full of difficultiesrough (as in a phase of life or a project)
Examples
- 磕磕绊绊，。Zhè duàn shān lù kē kē bàn bàn, kāi chē yào xiǎo xīn.This stretch of mountain road is bumpy — drive carefully.
- ，磕磕绊绊。Tā tuǐ shòu shāng hòu, zǒu lù zǒng shì kē kē bàn bàn de.After his leg was injured, he always walks with a limp.
- ，磕磕绊绊。Chuàng yè chū qī, wǒ men kē kē bàn bàn dì zǒu le wǔ nián.In the early days of our startup, we trudged through five tough years.
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