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停滞不前 (tíng zhì bù qián) — to stagnate; to be at a standstill; to make no progress

Definition

An idiom meaning to be stuck and going nowhere — progress has stopped completely. Often used for economies, negotiations, or studies, stronger than just 'slow' or 'behind'.

idiom
to stagnateto be at a standstillto make no progress

Examples

  • 停滞不前，。
    Jīng jì tíng zhì bù qián, gōng sī qíng kuàng bù hǎo.
    The economy is stagnant, and the company's situation is not good.
  • 停滞不前，。
    Xué xí bù néng tíng zhì bù qián, yào měi tiān jìn bù.
    Studying cannot stagnate; you need to make progress every day.
  • 停滞不前，。
    Tán pàn yǐ jīng tíng zhì bù qián, shuāng fāng dōu bú ràng bù.
    The negotiations have bogged down; neither side is backing down.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
亭
亭tíng停tíng
Same sound today

The left side 亻 is a person, and the right side 亭 gives the sound tíng; this forms 停.

Open 停 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 滯; 滞 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
帶
帶dài滯zhì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 滯 combines 水 (water) with 帶, which gives the pronunciation; the simplified 滞 is a later shorthand.

Open 滞 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

In the older form of 前, 止 (foot) and 舟 (boat) showed a foot on a boat moving forward; in the current 前 those parts are shortened.

Open 前 →
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