踏步 (tà bù) — to march in place, to mark time; (figurative) to stagnate, to make no progress
Definition
Literally 'to step / march in place' (e.g. during a drill). Figuratively, it means to 'mark time' — stay stuck without real progress.
verb
to march in placeto mark time(figurative) to stagnateto make no progress
Examples
- 踏步。Jiào liàn ràng wǒ men yuán dì tà bù shí fēn zhōng.The coach had us march in place for ten minutes.
- ，。Tā zhī zài yuán dì tà le jǐ bù, bìng méi yǒu qián jìn.He only took a few steps in place and didn't move forward.
- 踏步，。Gōng sī de yè jì yì zhí zài tà bù, méi yǒu zēng zhǎng.The company's performance has been stagnating with no growth.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.