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拖后腿 (tuō hòu tuǐ) — to hold someone back, to be a drag on someone

Definition

An idiom meaning 'to hold someone back' — usually about one weak member slowing down a team, class, or family. It is figurative, not about real legs, and pairs naturally with 给 (+ person/group).

verb
to hold someone backto be a drag on someone

Examples

  • 拖后腿。
    Wǒ men tuán duì shuí dōu bù xī wàng tuō hòu tuǐ.
    None of us in the team wants to be a drag on the group.
  • 。
    Tā cóng lái méi yǒu gěi tuán duì tuō guò hòu tuǐ.
    He has never held the team back.
  • ，拖后腿。
    Nǐ rú guǒ bù hǎo hǎo xué xí, jiù huì gěi jiā rén tuō hòu tuǐ.
    If you don't study well, you'll be a drag on your family.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

拖tuōdrag
后腿back leg
后hòuback腿tuǐleg
偏正Modifier + head

拖 means to drag, and 后腿 is the hind leg, so the image is dragging someone's hind leg, holding them back.

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
手手shǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
它
它tā拖tuō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

拖 uses 手 to show an action done with the hand, and 它 to give its sound.

Open 拖 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 後; 后 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 後 showed 夊 (foot) bound by 幺 (thread), a foot caught by a rope and lagging behind; the simplified 后 is a later abbreviation, and 后 also has a different meaning.

Open 后 →

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
肉肉ròuflesh
Sound part声符shēngfú
退
退tuì腿tuǐ
Same sound today

The 肉 part is flesh, showing a body part; the 退 part gives the sound.

Open 腿 →
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Idioms & Set Phrases

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