畏首畏尾 — “To be overly cautious and indecisive”
畏首畏尾 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be overly cautious and indecisive”. To hesitate and be full of misgivings; to be timid and irresolute. Literally, “Fear the head, fear the tail”.
畏首畏尾 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 畏wèi
- 首shǒu
- 畏wèi
- 尾wěi
畏首畏尾 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 畏首畏尾
Origin and Story of 畏首畏尾
In the 11th year of Duke Ling of Jin (610 BC), Duke Ling of Jin convened an alliance with several feudal lords in Hu. Duke Mu of Zheng wished to join this grand event, but Duke Ling, who presided over the alliance, refused to meet him. The reason was that Duke Ling believed Zheng colluded with Chu and harbored disloyalty towards Jin.
Zheng's minister Zǐ Jiā sent an envoy to Jin, carrying a letter for the powerful minister Zhao Dun (an ancestor of the Zhao state). The letter stated that since Duke Mu of Zheng ascended the throne, Zheng had always been friendly with Jin, and even under immense pressure from the powerful state of Chu, they never dared to be disloyal to Jin. The letter also refuted Jin's unwarranted accusations against Zheng.
It then adopted a firm tone, quoting an ancient saying: "Fearing the head and fearing the tail, how much of the body is left?" (畏首畏尾，身其余几). It also said: "A dying deer does not choose its cry" (鹿死不择音).
If a small state serves a large state, and the large state treats it with virtue, then the small state will be as submissive as a human. The letter continued: If the large state treats it without propriety, the small state will act recklessly like a cornered deer, no longer able to choose its path. "Your country's orders have no standard, and we know we face extinction. We can only prepare our soldiers to await your command. As for what we should do next, we will follow your orders."
Zhao Dun, seeing the reasonableness in the letter, persuaded Duke Ling of Jin to retract his refusal for Duke Mu of Zheng to participate in the alliance. This story gave rise to the idioms "畏首畏尾" (wèishǒu wèiwěi) and "铤而走险" (tǐng'ér zǒuxiǎn).
Idioms Related to 畏首畏尾
Antonyms of 畏首畏尾
More idioms starting with 畏
- wèi畏zhī之rú如hǔ虎fear him like a tiger
- wèi畏dāo刀bì避jiàn箭flinch from danger
- wèi畏kǒu口shèn慎shì事be cautious in speech and prudent in action
- wèi畏tiān天xù恤mín民revere heaven and show compassion for people
- wèi畏tiān天mǐn悯rén人revere Heaven and pity humanity
- wèi畏tiān天ài爱mín民revere heaven, cherish people
- wèi畏tiān天zhī知mìng命revere Heaven and accept destiny
- wèi畏tóu头wèi畏wěi尾overly cautious and hesitant
- wèi畏wēi威huái怀dé德fear power, cherish virtue
- wèi畏qiáng强qī欺ruò弱fear the strong, bully the weak
- wèi畏yǐng影è恶jì迹foolishly fearing one's own shadow and traces
- wèi畏yǐng影ér而zǒu走unnecessarily alarmed by imaginary fears
Questions about 畏首畏尾
- What does 畏首畏尾 mean?
- 畏首畏尾 (wèi shǒu wèi wěi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be overly cautious and indecisive”.
- How do you pronounce 畏首畏尾?
- 畏首畏尾 is pronounced wèi shǒu wèi wěi in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 畏首畏尾 literally mean?
- Literally, 畏首畏尾 means “Fear the head, fear the tail”. It is used to mean “to be overly cautious and indecisive”.
- Where does 畏首畏尾 come from?
- 畏首畏尾 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 畏首畏尾?
- 畏：怕，惧。前也怕，后也怕。比喻做事胆子小，顾虑多。