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畏缩 (wèi suō) — to cower, to flinch, to recoil (from fear or hesitation)

Definition

畏缩 means to cower or flinch from fear or hesitation — stronger and more timid than 退缩, which often implies a deliberate pullback. Closer to 退却's psychological sense, but focused on fear rather than retreat.

verb
to cowerto flinchto recoil (from fear or hesitation)

Examples

  • ，畏缩。
    Miàn duì kùn nan, tā cóng bú wèi suō.
    He never flinches in the face of difficulty.
  • 畏缩。
    Nà zhī xiǎo māo yí jiàn dào mò shēng rén jiù wèi suō dào jiǎo luò lǐ.
    That kitten shrinks into a corner as soon as it sees a stranger.
  • 畏缩，。
    Bié wèi suō, dà dǎn shuō chū nǐ de xiǎng fǎ.
    Don't flinch; boldly speak out your ideas.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

畏wèifear
缩suōshrink back

畏缩 joins 畏, fear, with 缩, shrink back, to mean cower or flinch from fear.

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
卜卜bǔ
Sound part声符shēngfú
鬼
鬼guǐ畏wèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

An early form of 畏 drew a ghost 鬼 holding a stick. Later, 卜 was used as the meaning part and 鬼 as the sound part.

Open 畏 →

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 縮; 缩 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìstring, thread
Sound part声符shēngfú
宿
宿sù縮suō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 縮 pairs 糸 (string, thread) with 宿, which gives the sound; the simplified 缩 is a shorthand.

Open 缩 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Emotions & Feelings

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.