優柔不断
ゆうじゅうふだん indecisive; irresolute
Why it means this
優柔 (soft and yielding) + 不断 (never deciding) — a four-character idiom for chronic inability to make up one's mind.
Breakdown
- 優 ユウ tenderness, excel, surpass
- 柔 ジュウ tender, weakness, gentleness
- 不 フ negative, non-, bad
- 断 ダン severance, decline, refuse
Each character links to its full entry — origin story, stroke order, and readings.