本末倒置 — “To put the cart before the horse”
本末倒置 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to put the cart before the horse”. To confuse the primary and secondary; to get things in the wrong order. Literally, “reverse the root and the branch; put the base and tip in reverse”.
Frequency
本末倒置 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 本běn
- 末mò
- 倒dào
- 置zhì
本末倒置 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 本末倒置
在学习新技能时，我们应该先掌握基础理论，如果本末倒置，只追求花哨的技巧，最终可能一无所获。
When learning a new skill, we should first grasp the basic theories. If we put the cart before the horse and only pursue flashy techniques, we might end up gaining nothing.
Idioms Related to 本末倒置
Synonyms of 本末倒置
Antonyms of 本末倒置
More idioms starting with 本
- běn本xiāng乡běn本tǔ土one's native place or hometown
- běn本wèi位zhǔ主yì义departmental or unit self-interest
- běn本tóng同mò末yì异same origin, different outcomes
- běn本tóng同mò末lí离same goal, different methods
- běn本gù固zhī枝róng荣firm foundation ensures flourishing development
- běn本gù固bāng邦níng宁A stable society comes from content people
- běn本xiǎo小lì利wēi微small capital, meager profit
- běn本xìng性nán难yí移inherent nature is hard to change
- běn本zhī支bǎi百shì世main lineage thriving for generations
- běn本mò末yuán源liú流the whole story from start to finish
- běn本běn本zhǔ主yì义rigid adherence to book knowledge
- běn本běn本fèn分fèn分to be honest and dutiful
Questions about 本末倒置
- What does 本末倒置 mean?
- 本末倒置 (běn mò dào zhì) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to put the cart before the horse”.
- How do you pronounce 本末倒置?
- 本末倒置 is pronounced běn mò dào zhì in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 本末倒置 literally mean?
- Literally, 本末倒置 means “reverse the root and the branch; put the base and tip in reverse”. It is used to mean “to put the cart before the horse”.
- What is the Chinese definition of 本末倒置?
- 本：树根；末：树梢；置：放。比喻把主次、轻重的位置弄颠倒了。