蹑手蹑脚 (niè shǒu niè jiǎo) — to walk stealthily; to tiptoe; to move gingerly without making noise
Definition
A vivid four-character idiom meaning to move quietly and carefully, lifting the feet as if on tiptoes to avoid being heard. Usually describes sneaking around (entering a room, searching for something) rather than ordinary walking.
verb
to walk stealthilyto tiptoeto move gingerly without making noise
Examples
- ，蹑手蹑脚。Hái zi shuì zháo le, wǒ men niè shǒu niè jiǎo dì zǒu jìn fáng jiān.The child fell asleep, so we tiptoed into the room.
- 蹑手蹑脚，。Tā niè shǒu niè jiǎo dì zǒu dào mén kǒu, xiǎng xià mā ma yí tiào.He stealthily walked to the door, wanting to surprise his mom.
- ，蹑手蹑脚。Tú shū guǎn lǐ dà jiā dōu zài kàn shū, tā zhǐ hǎo niè shǒu niè jiǎo dì zhǎo zuò wèi.Everyone in the library was reading, so he had to tiptoe to find a seat.
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