打退堂鼓

dǎtuì-tánggǔ

idiom #23,608

Meanings

1 to back out
2 to give up halfway
3 to beat a retreat
4 to get cold feet

Characters

to beat / to strike

to retreat / to withdraw

hall / court / courtroom

Examples

HSK 2

事情还没完成，你不能打退堂鼓。

Shìqing hái méi wánchéng, nǐ bùnéng dǎtuìtánggǔ.

The task isn't finished yet. You can't back out now.

HSK 4

遇到困难就打退堂鼓，永远不会成功。

Yùdào kùnnan jiù dǎtuìtánggǔ, yǒngyuǎn bùhuì chénggōng.

If you give up whenever you face difficulties, you will never succeed.

HSK 7-9

她犹豫了一下，差点打了退堂鼓。

Tā yóuyù le yīxià, chàdiǎn dǎ le tuìtánggǔ.

She hesitated for a moment and almost got cold feet.

Tips

history

In imperial Chinese courts, a drum was beaten to signal the start and end of proceedings. The 退堂鼓 (tuìtánggǔ) - literally 'retreat-court drum' - was struck to dismiss the session. The idiom captures the idea of ending things before they are properly concluded, i.e., backing out.

Stroke Order

打 dǎ

退 tuì

堂 táng

鼓 gǔ