The 踟蹰 root traces to the Han-dynasty ballad 《陌上桑》: 使君从南来，五马立踟蹰 ('the magistrate came from the south, his five horses stopped, hesitating') - the horses pause, transfixed by the beautiful Luo Fu (罗敷).
memory
Both 踟 and 蹰 carry the foot radical 足 - picture feet that pace back and forth without stepping forward.
