游移不定

yóuyíbùdìng

idiom

Meanings

1 to waver indecisively
2 to fluctuate without resolve
3 to hesitate; can't make up one's mind

Characters

to wander; to drift

to shift; to move

Examples

他游移不定，最后错过了机会。

Tā yóuyíbùdìng, zuìhòu cuòguòle jīhuì.

He kept wavering and ended up missing the chance.

市场游移不定，投资者都在观望。

Shìchǎng yóuyíbùdìng, tóuzīzhě dōu zài guānwàng.

The market is fluctuating; investors are all standing by.

Tips

history

From the Han-era 《释名·释车》 by 刘熙 (Liú Xī): describing the 游环 (yóuhuán), a sliding ring on a chariot harness — 游移前却，无定处也 ('moving forward and back, with no fixed place'). The mechanical image of a ring sliding along a strap became the metaphor for indecision.

Stroke Order

游 yóu

移 yí

不 bù

定 dìng