畏缩

wèi suō

HSK 3.0 Level 7 Verb Rare

Definitions

1. to cower
2. to flinch
3. to quail
4. to recoil

Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

• 勇敢 yǒng gǎn 勇敢 yǒng gǎn brave; courageous 勇敢 means brave, opposite of cowering.: brave; courageous

Related words

1 item

• 畏首畏尾 wèi shǒu wèi wěi 畏首畏尾 wèi shǒu wèi wěi afraid of the head, terrified of the tail (idiom); ever fearful and nervous An idiom meaning to be full of misgivings and afraid to take action.: afraid of the head, terrified of the tail (idiom); ever fearful and nervous

Synonyms

2 items

• 退缩 tuì suō 退缩 tuì suō to shrink back Both mean to shrink back or recoil in fear.: to shrink back
• 畏惧 wèi jù 畏惧 wèi jù to fear 畏缩 emphasizes the physical act of cowering, while 畏惧 is more about the feeling of fear.: to fear

Usage notes

Collocations

Often used in 畏缩不前 (to hesitate to advance out of fear), a fixed phrase; not used alone casually.

Common mistakes

Learners often confuse 畏缩 (wèisuō) with 萎缩 (wěisuō), which means to wither or atrophy; the former is about fear-induced retreat, the latter about physical decline.

Example Sentences

1 shown

面对困难，他从不 畏缩 。

Facing difficulties, he never flinches.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 畏缩

• 畏畏缩缩 畏畏缩缩 wèi wèi suō suō: cowering
• 畏缩不前 畏缩不前 wèi suō bù qián: to shrink back in fear (idiom); too cowardly to advance

Child Words of 畏缩

• 缩 缩 suō: to withdraw
• 畏 畏 wèi: to fear