迟疑不决 (chí yí bù jué) — hesitant and unable to decide; irresolute; wavering

Definition

An idiom meaning 'hesitant and unable to decide' — stronger and more literary than plain 犹豫, emphasizing being stuck without resolution. Pairs naturally with 态度 or a verb of duration (e.g. 了很久).

idiom
hesitant and unable to decideirresolutewavering

Examples

  • 迟疑不决，。
    Tā chí yí bù jué, cuò guò le zuì hǎo de jī huì.
    He was indecisive and missed the best opportunity.
  • ，迟疑不决。
    Miàn duì zhè ge xuǎn zé, tā chí yí bù jué le hěn jiǔ.
    Faced with this choice, she hesitated for a long time without deciding.
  • 迟疑不决。
    chí yí bù jué De tài dù zhī huì ràng wèn tí gèng fù zá.
    An indecisive attitude will only make the problem more complicated.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

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

迟疑hesitate
迟chídelay疑yídoubt
联合Side by side
不决not decide
不bùnot决juédecide
偏正Modifier + head

迟疑 conveys hesitation, and 不决 says there is no decision; together they picture wavering.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuòmotion
Sound part声符shēngfú
尺
尺chǐ迟chí
Same sound today

迟 pairs 辶, a walking sign, with 尺, used for the sound.

Open 迟 →

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

  • 大大dàstanding human figure
  • 夂夂zhǐtilted head with open mouth
  • 丨丨gǔncane

疑 depicts a standing figure 大 with a tilted, open-mouthed head 夂 and a cane 丨, a confused person looking around for direction.

Open 疑 →

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 →

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 決; 决 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
夬
夬guài決jué
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 決 has 氵 (water) and 夬, which gives the sound. This describes 決, not the simplified 决.

Open 决 →

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