寸步難行

See also: 寸步难行

Chinese

		tiny step; inch	disaster; distress; to scold disaster; distress; to scold; difficult (to...); problem; difficulty; difficult; not good	to go; to do; capable to go; to do; capable; all right; competent; OK; to travel; temporary; to walk; will do; behaviour; conduct; a row; profession; professional
trad. (寸步難行)		寸步	難	行
simp. (寸步难行)		寸步	难	行
Literally: “difficult to move one tiny step”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): cùnbùnánxíng

  (Zhuyin): ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄋㄢˊ ㄒㄧㄥˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): cyun³ bou⁶ naan⁴ hang⁴

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: cùnbùnánxíng
    • Zhuyin: ㄘㄨㄣˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄋㄢˊ ㄒㄧㄥˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: cùnbùnánsíng
    • Wade–Giles: tsʻun⁴-pu⁴-nan²-hsing²
    • Yale: tswùn-bù-nán-syíng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsuennbuhnanshyng
    • Palladius: цуньбунаньсин (cunʹbunanʹsin)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰu̯ən⁵¹⁻⁵³ pu⁵¹ nän³⁵ ɕiŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: cyun³ bou⁶ naan⁴ hang⁴
    • Yale: chyun bouh nàahn hàhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsyn³ bou⁶ naan⁴ hang⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: qun³ bou⁶ nan⁴ heng⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰyːn³³ pou̯²² naːn²¹ hɐŋ²¹/

Idiom

寸步難行

1. cannot walk a step
2. difficult to move forward; difficult to make headway

   • 這條路三天兩頭的挖，坑坑洞洞的，真是寸步難行。
     政府種種嚴謹的法律，使得不肖的生意人，大嘆寸步難行，再也不能任意剝削了。 [MSC, trad.]
     这条路三天两头的挖，坑坑洞洞的，真是寸步难行。
     政府种种严谨的法律，使得不肖的生意人，大叹寸步难行，再也不能任意剥削了。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 2002: Wang Huiling ed. (王惠玲), 最新學生作文成語寶典 (All new students treasury of classic idioms) →ISBN

     Zhè tiáo lù sān tiān liǎng tóu de wā, kēngkēngdòngdòng de, zhēn shì cùnbùnánxíng.
     Zhèngfǔ zhǒngzhǒng yánjǐn de fǎlǜ, shǐdé bùxiào de shēngyì rén, dàtàn cùnbùnánxíng, zài yě bùnéng rènyì bōxuē le. [Pinyin]

     They have been digging up this road for the last several days and it is full of potholes. It is really difficult to move forward.
     All kinds of strict government laws make it so that unscrupulous business people lament the fact that it is difficult for them to make headway. They can no longer prey on people at will

Derived terms

• 有理走遍天下，無理寸步難行／有理走遍天下，无理寸步难行 (yǒulǐ zǒu biàn tiānxià, wúlǐ cùnbùnánxíng)