equivocate; prevaricate; hem and haw
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to equivocate; to prevaricate; to speak evasively; to hem and haw
Often used to describe someone who is evading a direct answer or being deliberately vague. Can be used as a single verb or in the reduplicated form 支支吾吾. The variant form is 枝梧.
Tā他
shuō说
huà话
zǒng总
shì是
zhī支
zhī支
wú吾
wú吾
de的
，
ràng让
rén人
bù不
xìn信
rèn任
。
He always speaks haltingly and evasively, which makes people distrust him.
Bù不
yào要
zhī支
wú吾
qí其
cí词
，
zhí直
jiē接
huí回
dá答
wǒ我
de的
wèn问
tí题
。
Don't equivocate—answer my question directly.
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Duì对
yú于
zhè这
jiàn件
shì事
，
tā他
zhī支
wú吾
guò过
qù去
le了
。
He glossed over this matter.