毫不犹豫

• Pinyin: háo bù yóu yù
• Hanzi breakdown: 毫 = fine hair (smallest measure); 不 = not; 犹 = 犭(dog radical) + 尤 (especially) — to waver indecisively; 豫 = 予 (give) + 象 (elephant) — an elephant being led, suggesting indecision

Meaning

Without any hesitation; unhesitatingly — to act or respond immediately and decisively, without any internal conflict or doubt.

A very common four-character phrase. Used to describe decisive action in moral, professional, or emergency situations. Often conveys admirable boldness and clarity of conviction. 毫不犹豫地 is the adverbial form used before verbs: 毫不犹豫地答应 (agreed without a moment's hesitation). Overusing it for trivial choices diminishes its impact.

Examples

1. 当那名路人突然晕倒在地时，旁边的医学院学生毫不犹豫地上前施救，为患者争取到了宝贵的抢救时间。 When a passerby suddenly collapsed, a nearby medical student stepped in without hesitation to help, buying the patient precious time for emergency treatment.
2. 董事会在经过充分讨论之后，毫不犹豫地批准了这项大胆的战略转型方案，决心引领企业走出困境。 After thorough discussion, the board approved the bold strategic transformation plan without hesitation, determined to lead the company out of its difficulties.
3. 面对导师提出的这一极具挑战性的研究课题，她毫不犹豫地接受了任务，并立即着手制定详尽的实验计划。 When her advisor proposed a highly challenging research topic, she accepted the task without hesitation and immediately began drafting a detailed experimental plan.

Usage Guide

Context: moral decisions, emergency response, business, personal narratives

Tone: decisive

Do Say

• 消防员接到命令后毫不犹豫地冲入火场，成功将被困于三楼的两名老人安全转移至室外。(Upon receiving the order, the firefighters rushed into the blaze without a moment's hesitation, successfully evacuating the two elderly people trapped on the third floor to safety.)
• 公司面临被恶意收购的危机时，创始人毫不犹豫地拒绝了对方抛出的高溢价收购要约，坚守了自己创立企业的初心与价值观。(When the company faced a hostile takeover crisis, the founder rejected without hesitation the high-premium acquisition offer, upholding the founding principles and values with which he had established the enterprise.)

Don't Say

• 毫不犹豫 for completely trivial everyday decisions — overusing it diminishes its impact; reserve it for genuinely significant or morally weighty choices; for quick everyday decisions use 马上 or 立刻

Origin & History

毫不 (not in the slightest) + 犹豫 (to hesitate, to waver) — not wavering even by a hair's breadth

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal