谨小慎微 (jǐn xiǎo shèn wēi) — overcautious; too cautious to act; timid and hesitant
Definition
An idiom for being 'overcautious to a fault' — afraid to act because every small detail seems risky. The first character 谨 means 'cautious'; the whole phrase carries a negative judgment, not neutral carefulness.
idiom
overcautioustoo cautious to acttimid and hesitant
Examples
- 谨小慎微，。Tā zuò shì zǒng shì jǐn xiǎo shèn wēi, bù gǎn zuò rèn hé jué dìng.He is always overly cautious about trifles and dares not make any decisions.
- 谨小慎微，。Bié zài jǐn xiǎo shèn wēi le, zhè yàng zhī huì cuò guò jī huì.Stop being so overcautious — you'll only miss opportunities.
- 谨小慎微。Tā de jǐn xiǎo shèn wēi ràng zhěng gè tuán duì jìn dù biàn màn.His excessive caution has slowed down the entire team.
Appears in
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