推三阻四
tuī sān zǔ sì
to make all sorts of excuses; to keep putting sb off
Character by character
推tuī
push
push
三sān
three
three
阻zǔ
block
block
四sì
four
four
Example
让他帮个小忙，他推三阻四，说自己这也忙那也忙。
We asked him for a small favour, and he came up with excuse after excuse, saying he was busy with this and that.
Tone: negative (criticism).
Usage and origin
三…四 stands for “this and that, over and over”, as in 丢三落四 and 说三道四. Said of people or offices that dodge a request or a duty; close to 推来推去 and the colloquial 踢皮球 (passing the ball).
Learn this in Lesson 182 · HSK 7–9: 讨个说法 (Getting what you are owed)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.
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