The New Dictionary.
Search dictionary
Chinese/Dictionary entry

举步维艰

jǔ bù wéi jiāndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to make progress only with great difficulty (idiom)
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-43f54954c7f4284f. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

舉步維艱 举步维艰 [ju3 bu4 wei2 jian1] /to make progress only with great difficulty (idiom)/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 舉步維艱

  • 举
    jǔ

    to lift / to hold up / to cite / to enumerate / to act / to raise / to choose / to elect / act / move / deed

  • 步
    bù

    a step / a pace / walk / march / stages in a process / situation

    Bù

    surname Bu

  • 维
    wéi

    to preserve / to maintain / to hold together / dimension / vitamin (abbr. for 維生素|维生素[wéi shēng sù])

    Wéi

    abbr. for Uyghur 維吾爾|维吾尔[Wéi wú ěr] / surname Wei

  • 艰
    jiān

    difficult / hard / hardship

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.