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踌躇

chóu chú
HSK 2.0 Level 6 Rare

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Definitions

  1. 1. to hesitate

Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item
果断
guǒ duàn

firm

果断 means 'decisive', the opposite of hesitating.

Related words

1 item
徘徊
pái huái

徘徊 means 'to pace back and forth', often due to indecision.

Synonyms

1 item
犹豫
yóu yù

to hesitate

Both can mean 'hesitate', but 犹豫 is more common in spoken Chinese, while 踌躇 is more literary.

Usage notes

Common mistakes

Don't use 踌躇 in casual conversation; it sounds overly formal and stilted.

Formality

踌躇 is a literary word; use 犹豫 in everyday speech.

Example Sentences

1 shown
他在门前 踌躇 ，不敢进去。
He hesitated at the door, not daring to enter.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 踌躇

踌躇不前
chóu chú bù qián

to hesitate to move forward

踌躇不决
chóu chú bù jué

to hesitate

踌躇满志
chóu chú mǎn zhì

enormously proud of one's success (idiom); smug

Child Words of 踌躇

躇
chú

to hesitate

踌
chóu

to pace back and forth