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畏首畏尾

wèishǒuwèiwěi ㄨㄟˋ ㄕㄡˇ ㄨㄟˋ ㄨㄟˇ

    • afraid of the head, terrified of the tail (idiom) ever fearful and nervous
    • afraid of the slightest thing

Character by character

Synonyms and antonyms

Synonyms 近义词

  • 缩手缩脚 suōshǒusuōjiǎo
    • 做事缩手缩脚 to be timid and hesitant in one's work
  • 瞻前顾后 zhānqiángùhòu

Antonyms 反义词

  • 无所畏惧 wúsuǒwèijù
    • 面对困难 to face difficulties without fear
    • 他无所畏惧 he fears nothing
  • 勇往直前 yǒngwǎngzhíqián

Telling them apart

畏首畏尾 stresses timidity and fear of trouble. 瞻前顾后 stresses hesitation, being unable to decide because one weighs too many considerations.

Sources