硬着头皮 (yìng zhe tóu pí) — to brace oneself (to do something unpleasant or embarrassing), to force oneself to do something despite reluctance
Definition
A colloquial idiom meaning to force oneself to do something unpleasant or embarrassing, like 'brace oneself' or 'bite the bullet'.
verb
to brace oneself (to do something unpleasant or embarrassing)to force oneself to do something despite reluctance
Examples
- ，硬着头皮。Suī rán hěn jǐn zhāng, tā hái shì yìng zhe tóu pí shàng tái fā yán le.Although very nervous, he still braced himself and went on stage to speak.
- ，。Tā yìng le tóu pí, zǒu jìn le lǎo bǎn de bàn gōng shì.He steeled himself and walked into the boss's office.
- ，，硬着头皮。Wǒ bú huì yóu yǒng, dàn wèi le jiù hái zi, zhǐ hǎo yìng zhe tóu pí tiào xià qù.I can't swim, but to save the child, I had to force myself to jump in.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.