望而生畏

wàng ér shēng wèi

to be daunted at the mere sight; forbidding

Character by character

望wàng
look

而ér
and

生shēng
grow

畏wèi
fear

这座山又高又陡，不少游客望而生畏，只好坐缆车上去。

The mountain is so high and steep that many visitors lose heart at the sight of it and take the cable car instead.

Tone: neutral.

Of anything that scares people off before they even try: a cliff, a price, a thick textbook, a stern teacher. Often 让人望而生畏 or 令人望而生畏.

Learn this in Lesson 20 · HSK 5: 中国人什么时候开始吃辣 (When China learned to love chillies)

A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.