拖延

tuōyán
verb HSK 7 #5,491

Meanings

  1. 1 to delay; to put off
  2. 2 to procrastinate

Characters

Both characters mean to stretch time out — dragging something further and further.

Examples

Bié zài tuōyán le, gǎnjǐn zuò ba.
Stop procrastinating and just do it.
Tuōyánzhèng shì hěn duō rén de máobìng.
Procrastination is a problem many people have.

Tips

usage
拖延 (tuōyánzhèng, 'procrastination disorder') is a hugely popular internet buzzword in China. People self-diagnose with it constantly — 拖延 ('I have procrastination syndrome') is practically a meme.

Stroke Order

tuō
yán