📖 Meaning
Literally 'a thousand pushes and ten thousand blocks.' It describes repeatedly making excuses to delay, obstruct, or refuse something. The idiom conveys someone who puts up every possible resistance to avoid agreeing or complying.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Ming dynasty play 'The Thorn Hairpin Tale' (荆钗记) by Zhu Quan, specifically Act 46. In the story, Minister Deng proposes a marriage arrangement but encounters relentless pushing and blocking from one party. However, when Prefect Wang shows willingness toward the match, concerns about traditional moral principles known as the Five Codes and Three Bonds (五典三纲) come into play. The phrase vividly captures the stubborn resistance met when trying to arrange the union.
💡 Example Usage
他对这门亲事千推万阻，始终不肯答应。
He made every excuse to push back and block this marriage arrangement, refusing to agree all along.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 千推万阻
- Pinyin: qiān tuī wàn zǔ
- Literal Translation: thousand, push, ten thousand, block
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4