huddle from cold; timid and hesitant
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 5 examplesidiom
to huddle up from the cold; to shrink with cold
Describes the physical posture of drawing one's limbs close to the body due to low temperatures.
Dōng冬
tiān天
wū屋
lǐ里
méi没
yǒu有
nuǎn暖
qì气
，
tā他
dòng冻
de得
suō缩
shǒu手
suō缩
jiǎo脚
de的
。
In winter, there's no heating in the room, and he was huddled up from the cold.
Hái孩
zi子
men们
suō缩
shǒu手
suō缩
jiǎo脚
de地
zhàn站
zài在
hán寒
fēng风
zhōng中
děng等
dài待
gōng公
jiāo交
chē车
。
The children stood huddled in the cold wind, waiting for the bus.
idiom
to be timid and hesitant; to shrink from doing something
Metaphorical usage describing someone who is overly cautious, worried about consequences, and afraid to take bold action. Often used in work or reform contexts.
Zuò做
gǎi改
gé革
bù不
néng能
suō缩
shǒu手
suō缩
jiǎo脚
，
yào要
dà大
dǎn胆
chuàng创
xīn新
。
We can't be timid in carrying out reforms; we must be bold and innovative.
Tā他
dì第
yī一
cì次
dú独
lì立
fù负
zé责
xiàng项
mù目
，
nán难
miǎn免
yǒu有
xiē些
suō缩
shǒu手
suō缩
jiǎo脚
。
It was his first time being solely responsible for a project, so it's inevitable he was somewhat hesitant.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Wǒ我
men们
yào要
fàng放
kāi开
shǒu手
jiǎo脚
gàn干
，
bù不
néng能
zǒng总
shì是
suō缩
shǒu手
suō缩
jiǎo脚
de的
。
We need to go all out and work freely; we can't always be so timid.