引而不发 in English yin3 er2 bu4 fa1 Meaning

Meanings

  • to pull the bow without shooting (idiomatic expression from Mencius); ready and waiting for action
  • to go through the motions
  • to practice
  • a trial run

Simplified Characters

引 而 不 发

Traditional Characters

引 而 不 發

Pinyin

yin3 er2 bu4 fa1

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

引yin3to draw (e.g. a bow) 而er2and 不bu4(negative prefix) 发fa1to send out