举步维艰 (jǔ bù wéi jiān) — to have great difficulty making progress; to be stuck in a very tough situation

Definition

Examples

• 创业初期公司举步维艰，资金和人才都严重不足。
  Chuàng yè chū qī gōng sī jǔ bù wéi jiān, zī jīn hé rén cái dōu yán zhòng bù zú.
  In the early days of the startup, the company struggled so hard that it was barely able to move forward, lacking both funds and talent.
• 在疫情冲击下，许多传统行业举步维艰。
  Zài yì qíng chōng jī xià, xǔ duō chuán tǒng háng yè jǔ bù wéi jiān.
  Under the impact of the pandemic, many traditional industries found it extremely difficult to make progress.
• 他的写作生涯一度举步维艰，直到新书意外走红。
  Tā de xiě zuò shēng yá yí dù jǔ bù wéi jiān, zhí dào xīn shū yì wài zǒu hóng.
  His writing career was once stuck in a rut, until his new book unexpectedly became a hit.