畏首畏尾

wèishǒu-wèiwěi
idiom #35,894

Meanings

  1. 1 afraid of this and afraid of that
  2. 2 overly cautious
  3. 3 timid and hesitant

Examples

HSK 5
Niánqīngrén yīnggāi dàdǎn chángshì, bùyào wèishǒu-wèiwěi.
Young people should try things boldly, not be timid and hesitant.
HSK 6
Zuòshì wèishǒu-wèiwěi, shénme dōu zuò bùchéng.
Being timid about everything, you'll never accomplish anything.

Tips

history
From 《左传·文公十七年》: 畏首畏尾,身其余几? ('if you fear both your head and tail, how much of you is left?'), originally the Zheng envoy's sharp retort to Jin's overbearing demands. The rhetorical question survives as a rebuke to excessive caution.

Stroke Order

wèi
shǒu
wěi