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膝痒搔背
膝痒搔背
膝痒搔背
膝痒搔背
膝痒搔背
膝痒搔背
膝痒搔背
膝痒搔背
膝痒搔背

膝痒搔背 — “To make a misdirected or futile effort”

膝痒搔背 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to make a misdirected or futile effort”. To address an irrelevant issue instead of the actual problem. Literally, “Knees itch, scratch the back”.

Frequency

膝痒搔背 Pronunciation and Pinyin

膝痒搔背 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
膝
xī15the knee joint
痒
yǎng11to itch
搔
sāo12scratch or rub lightly
背
bèi9back, carry, recite, violate

Example Sentence with 膝痒搔背

解决问题的关键在于找到根本原因,如果只是做些无关紧要的事,那简直是膝痒搔背,徒劳无功。
The key to solving a problem lies in finding its root cause; if one merely busies oneself with irrelevant matters, it's akin to "knees itch, scratch the back," a completely futile effort.

Idioms Related to 膝痒搔背

Synonyms of 膝痒搔背

  • gé隔xuē靴sāo搔yǎng痒address a problem superficially

Antonyms of 膝痒搔背

  • sāo搔dào到yǎng痒chù处address the core issue precisely

More idioms starting with 膝

  • xī膝xià下chéng承huān欢to serve and please one's parents
  • xī膝xià下yóu犹xū虚still childless
  • xī膝xíng行pú匍fú伏crawl on knees and prostrate oneself
  • xī膝xíng行ér而qián前advance on knees in reverence or humility
  • xī膝xíng行ér而jìn进advance on knees in extreme deference
  • xī膝xíng行zhǒu肘bù步crawl on knees and elbows
  • xī膝xíng行pú蒲fú伏Crawl on knees and prostrate
  • xī膝yǔ语shé蛇xíng行act with extreme servility

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Questions about 膝痒搔背

What does 膝痒搔背 mean?

膝痒搔背 (xī yǎng sāo bèi) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to make a misdirected or futile effort”.

How do you pronounce 膝痒搔背?

膝痒搔背 is pronounced xī yǎng sāo bèi in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 膝痒搔背 literally mean?

Literally, 膝痒搔背 means “Knees itch, scratch the back”. It is used to mean “to make a misdirected or futile effort”.

What is the Chinese definition of 膝痒搔背?

膝部发痒,却去搔背。比喻力量没有使在点子上。

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