引而不发 — “To draw the bow but not shoot the arrow”
引而不发 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to draw the bow but not shoot the arrow”. To be fully prepared but hold back from acting, awaiting the perfect moment; or to guide and enlighten without explicitly stating the answer, encouraging discovery. Literally, “draw the bow but not shoot the arrow”.
Frequency
引而不发 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 引yǐn
- 而ér
- 不bù
- 发fā
引而不发 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 引而不发
老师在讲解新概念时，总是引而不发，让学生自己思考出答案。
When explaining new concepts, the teacher always draws the bow but doesn't shoot the arrow, allowing students to think out the answers themselves.
Idioms Related to 引而不发
Synonyms of 引而不发
Antonyms of 引而不发
More idioms starting with 引
- yǐn引wèi为kǒu口shí实give others a handle for criticism
- yǐn引kàng亢gāo高gē歌sing loudly with great enthusiasm
- yǐn引rén人rù入shèng胜Fascinating and captivating
- yǐn引rén人zhù注mù目attract attention
- yǐn引rén人zhǔ瞩mù目attract a lot of attention
- yǐn引yǐ以wéi为hàn憾to feel regretful about something
- yǐn引yǐ以wéi为jiè戒take as a warning
- yǐn引yǐ以wéi为chǐ耻regard as a disgrace
- yǐn引yǐ以wéi为róng荣take pride in
- yǐn引shēn伸chù触lèi类extend by analogy
- yǐn引rù入qí歧tú途lead astray
- yǐn引rù入mí迷tú途lead astray
Questions about 引而不发
- What does 引而不发 mean?
- 引而不发 (yǐn ér bù fā) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to draw the bow but not shoot the arrow”.
- How do you pronounce 引而不发?
- 引而不发 is pronounced yǐn ér bù fā in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 引而不发 literally mean?
- Literally, 引而不发 means “draw the bow but not shoot the arrow”. It is used to mean “to draw the bow but not shoot the arrow”.
- What is the Chinese definition of 引而不发?
- 引：拉弓；发：射箭。拉开弓却不把箭射出去。比喻善于启发引导。也比喻做好准备暂不行动，以待时机。