指东画西 — “To talk circuitously, avoiding the main point”
指东画西 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to talk circuitously, avoiding the main point”. To beat around the bush; to ramble on without getting to the core issue. Literally, “point east, draw west”.
Frequency
指东画西 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 指zhǐ
- 东dōng
- 画huà
- 西xī
指东画西 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 指东画西
小明在会议上总是指东画西，迟迟不肯说出自己的真实想法。
Xiao Ming always beats around the bush in meetings, reluctant to express his true thoughts.
Idioms Related to 指东画西
Synonyms of 指东画西
More idioms starting with 指
- zhǐ指yī一shuō说shí十exaggerate a minor issue
- zhǐ指bù不shèng胜lǚ偻too many to count
- zhǐ指bù不shèng胜qū屈too many to count
- zhǐ指bù不shèng胜shù数too numerous to count
- zhǐ指dōng东dǎ打xī西feint east, attack west
- zhǐ指dōng东huà话xī西talk aimlessly or evasively
- zhǐ指dōng东shuō说xī西Beat around the bush
- zhǐ指dōng东mà骂xī西criticize indirectly
- zhǐ指shì事lèi类qíng情explain principles and illustrate situations
- zhǐ指qīn亲tuō托gù故claim kinship or feign acquaintance
- zhǐ指nìng佞chù触xié邪expose sycophants and resist evil
Questions about 指东画西
- What does 指东画西 mean?
- 指东画西 (zhǐ dōng huà xī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to talk circuitously, avoiding the main point”.
- How do you pronounce 指东画西?
- 指东画西 is pronounced zhǐ dōng huà xī in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 指东画西 literally mean?
- Literally, 指东画西 means “point east, draw west”. It is used to mean “to talk circuitously, avoiding the main point”.
- What is the Chinese definition of 指东画西?
- 指说话时的手势动作。比喻说话避开主题，东拉西扯。