原地踏步 yuán dì tà bù

DEFINITIONS

  1. to mark time (military)
  2. to make no headway

CHARACTERS

原 yuán
HSK 4
source, origin, beginning
地 dì
HSK 3
earth; soil, ground; region
踏 tà
HSK 6
step on, trample, tread on, walk
步 bù
HSK 2
step, pace; walk, stroll