拖尾巴

tuōwěiba

verb

Meanings

1 to drag one's feet
2 to be a drag on someone
3 to leave a job unfinished / leave loose ends

Characters

(noun suffix; here forms 尾巴 'tail')

Examples

你别拖尾巴，影响整个团队的进度。

Nǐ bié tuō wěiba, yǐngxiǎng zhěnggè tuánduì de jìndù.

Don't be a drag — you're slowing the whole team down.

这件事一定要彻底完成，不能拖尾巴。

Zhè jiàn shì yīdìng yào chèdǐ wánchéng, bù néng tuō wěiba.

This matter must be wrapped up completely — no loose ends.

Tips

memory

The image is a person literally dragging a tail (尾巴) behind them — slowing themselves and others down. Synonymous with 拖后腿 (tuō hòutuǐ, 'drag the back leg').

register

Colloquial / dialectal (esp. northern). Two senses: (1) holding others back, (2) leaving unfinished business.

Stroke Order

拖 tuō

尾 wěi

巴 bā