支吾

zhīwu
verb #51,173

Meanings

  1. 1 to respond evasively
  2. 2 to hem and haw
  3. 3 to stall with vague answers

Examples

Tā bèi wèn dào zhè jiàn shì shí zhīwu le bàntiān.
When asked about it, he hemmed and hawed for a long time.
Bié zhīwu, zhíjiē shuō nǐ dàodǐ qù méi qù.
Stop dodging — just tell me whether you actually went or not.

Tips

usage
Most often appears in the four-character phrase 支吾 (zhīwu qí cí, 'to mumble equivocally'). The second syllable is usually pronounced neutral tone (zhīwu) in modern speech, though the dictionary tone is wú.
memory
Think of someone literally going 'zhi… wu…' as they stall for time — onomatopoeic of muttered, half-formed answers.

Stroke Order

zhī