Definition
固步自封 is a chengyu (four-character idiom) that means 'to be complacent and resist progress' — literally 'to block one's own steps.' It describes someone who sticks to old methods and refuses to learn or change, often used in a negative sense to criticize a lack of innovation. You can use it as a verb phrase in the pattern ∼在… (e.g., ∼在传统的思维里) or alone as a predicate.
v
to be stuck in one's waysto be complacent and resistant to change
Examples
- 固步自封，。Wǒmen bù néng gù bù zì fēng, yào búduàn xuéxí xīn zhīshi.We cannot be complacent and resist change; we must keep learning new knowledge.
- 固步自封。Zhè jiā gōngsī yīnwèi gù bù zì fēng ér shīqù le shìchǎng.This company lost its market because it was stuck in its own ways.
- 固步自封，。Tā rúguǒ jìxù gù bù zì fēng, jiù hěn nán jìnbù.If he continues to be complacent, it will be hard for him to make progress.
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