How to Write 躇 (chú) — Meaning “to hesitate”

Imagine a person (著, like "author") standing on one foot (足) and not being able to decide which way to step — that hesitation is 躇. You can think of the phrase "author of hesitation" where the author stops walking because they can't make up their mind. The foot and the idea of being stuck together create a clear visual of wavering.

Pay attention to the balance between the left radical 足 and the right part 著. The 足 radical is narrower, while 著 is wider with eight strokes; make sure the right side does not become too tall. A common mistake is writing the 日 inside 著 too small or forgetting the dot on top of the 艹 (grass radical) at the top of 著.

躇 means "to hesitate" and often appears with 踌 in the word 踌躇 (chóu chú). 踱 (duó) means "to stroll" or "to pace slowly," while 踵 (zhǒng) means "heel" or "to follow closely." Visually, 踱 has the component 度 (degree, measure) on the right, and 踵 has 重 (heavy, repeat) — so each right side gives a different meaning related to movement.

躇 is almost always used in the two-character word 踌躇 (chóu chú), meaning "to hesitate" or "to waver." For example, you might say 他踌躇不前 (tā chóu chú bù qián) meaning "He hesitated and didn't move forward." The phrase 踌躇满志 (chóu chú mǎn zhì) describes a proud, self-satisfied feeling, often used in formal or literary contexts.

Common words containing 躇 include: 踌躇 (chóu chú) — to hesitate; to waver; 踌躇满志 (chóu chú mǎn zhì) — enormously proud of one's success; self-satisfied; 踌躇不前 (chóu chú bù qián) — to hesitate to move forward; to hang back.