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To hinder or impede someone's progress, often by creating obstacles or lacking cooperation.
因为他总拉后腿，我们团队的效率下降了。
Because he always drags us down, our team's efficiency has dropped.
别拉后腿了，我们需要每个人都努力。
Stop holding us back; we need everyone to contribute.
Commonly used in personal relationships, work teams, or competitive scenarios where one person's lack of effort or cooperation negatively impacts others.
This idiom reflects a collectivist mindset common in Chinese culture, where group harmony and shared progress are highly valued. Criticizing someone for '拉后腿' is a strong social signal that their behavior is unacceptable in a collaborative setting.
Use this idiom when someone's lack of effort, cooperation, or sabotage directly harms a group's goals. It is stronger than '拖累' (to burden) and implies active hindrance rather than passive inability.
The phrase combines '拉' (to pull) and '后腿' (back legs), metaphorically describing someone figuratively 'pulling back legs' to hinder movement or progress. The imagery comes from the idea of someone intentionally slowing down others by acting as an obstacle, like pulling someone's legs to trip them.
This idiom is often used in contexts where someone is perceived as deliberately or unintentionally sabotaging a group's efforts. It implies a sense of frustration or blame toward the person hindering progress.