Definition
To march in place without advancing forward.
原地踏步
The soldiers could only mark time while waiting for orders.
士兵們只能原地踏步等待命令。
During the parade, the troops marked time in unison.
在閱兵期間，部隊整齊劃一地原地踏步。
He had to mark time to avoid falling out of step with the rest of the group.
他不得不原地踏步，以免與隊伍其他成員步伐不一致。
To do little or nothing while waiting for something to happen.
指在等待某事發生期間無所事事。
She's just marking time before her new job starts.
她只是在新工作開始前無所事事。
They were just marking time while awaiting the outcome of the negotiations.
他們只是在等待談判結果時無所事事。
He felt like he was just marking time, doing nothing of real value.
他感覺自己只是在無所事事，沒有做任何真正有價值的事情。