举步维艰

舉步維艱

jǔbùwéijiān

idiom #37,162

Meanings

1 to make progress only with great difficulty
2 every step is hard going

Characters

to lift / raise

is / only (literary)

Examples

公司目前举步维艰。

Gōngsī mùqián jǔbùwéijiān.

The company is currently struggling to move forward.

改革举步维艰，但必须坚持。

Gǎigé jǔbùwéijiān, dàn bìxū jiānchí.

Reform is difficult going, but we must persist.

Tips

memory

Literally "lift step — only difficult." Picture trying to take a single step through deep mud — that's the feeling. The 维 here is a literary copula meaning "is / amounts to," not "to maintain."

Stroke Order

举 jǔ

步 bù

维 wéi

艰 jiān