Definition
拖后腿 is a colloquial verb-object idiom meaning 'to hold someone back' or 'to be a drag on someone'. The literal image is 'drag the back leg'. It's a separable verb (离合词): you can insert aspect markers like 了, 过, 的 between 拖 and 后腿, e.g. 拖过后腿 ('has held back'). You often see it in the pattern 给/对 + person + 拖后腿.
v.o.
to hold someone backto be a drag on someone
Examples
- 拖后腿。Wǒmen tuánduì shuí dōu bù xīwàng tuō hòu tuǐ.None of us in the team wants to be a drag on the group.
- 。Tā cónglái méiyǒu gěi tuánduì tuō guò hòu tuǐ.He has never held the team back.
- ，拖后腿。Nǐ rúguǒ bù hǎohǎo xuéxí, jiù huì gěi jiārén tuō hòu tuǐ.If you don't study well, you'll be a drag on your family.
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