迟疑

chí yí

HSK 2.0 Level 6 HSK 3.0 Level 7 Adjective Uncommon

Definitions

1 item

firm

果断 means decisive, the opposite of hesitating.

1 item

to pace back and forth

彷徨 implies walking back and forth in hesitation, often with deeper emotional turmoil.

1 item

to hesitate

Both mean to hesitate, but 迟疑 emphasizes pause due to doubt or uncertainty, while 犹豫 can imply indecisiveness.

Often used with 片刻 (a moment) or 不 (not), e.g., 他迟疑了片刻 (He hesitated for a moment).

Don't use 迟疑 for simple indecision like choosing what to eat; use 犹豫 instead.

1 shown

他迟疑了一下，才走进房间。

He hesitated for a moment before entering the room.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

without the slightest hesitation

late

to doubt