The word "停滞不前" is formed by combining the characters 停 (meaning "to stop") and 滞 (meaning "to stagnate") into the compound "停滞", which conveys a state of halting or stagnation, and then adding 不 (meaning "not") and 前 (meaning "forward") to create the phrase "不前", which negates progress; together, they literally mean "stagnation and not moving forward", expressing the idea of being at a standstill without advancement.