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舍本求末
舍本求末
舍本求末
舍本求末
舍本求末
舍本求末
舍本求末
舍本求末
舍本求末
舍本求末

舍本求末 — “To abandon the fundamental and pursue the trivial”

舍本求末 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to abandon the fundamental and pursue the trivial”. To neglect the root and attend to the branches, focusing on minor details while ignoring the essentials. Literally, “abandon the root and pursue the tip”.

Frequency

舍本求末 Pronunciation and Pinyin

  • 舍shě
  • 本běn
  • 求qiú
  • 末mò

舍本求末 Character Breakdown

CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
舍
shě8house, give way
本
běn5root, origin, fundamental, main
求
qiú7seek, beg, demand
末
mò5end, tip, powder, secondary

Example Sentence with 舍本求末

在学习上,如果我们只注重死记硬背,而不理解知识的本质,那就是舍本求末。
In our studies, if we only focus on rote memorization without understanding the core principles, we are simply neglecting the fundamental for the trivial.

Idioms Related to 舍本求末

Synonyms of 舍本求末

  • běn本mò末dào倒zhì置put the cart before the horse
  • shě舍běn本zhú逐mò末neglect the root and pursue the tip

More idioms starting with 舍

  • shě舍mìng命bù不shě舍cái财value wealth more than life
  • shě舍mìng命jiù救rén人sacrifice life to save others
  • shě舍mìng命péi陪jūn君zǐ子risk all to accompany a friend
  • shě舍ān安jiù就wēi危abandon safety for peril
  • shě舍shí实tīng听shēng声disregard facts and listen to hearsay
  • shě舍shí实qiú求xū虚abandon the substantial for the illusory
  • shě舍jǐ己wèi为rén人sacrifice self for others
  • shě舍jǐ己wèi为gōng公sacrifice self for public good
  • shě舍jǐ己cóng从rén人defer to others' opinions
  • shě舍jǐ己jiù就rén人yield one's own views for others
  • shě舍jǐ己chéng成rén人sacrifice self to help others
  • shě舍jǐ己jiù救rén人sacrifice oneself to save others

Questions about 舍本求末

What does 舍本求末 mean?
舍本求末 (shě běn qiú mò) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to abandon the fundamental and pursue the trivial”.
How do you pronounce 舍本求末?
舍本求末 is pronounced shě běn qiú mò in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 舍本求末 literally mean?
Literally, 舍本求末 means “abandon the root and pursue the tip”. It is used to mean “to abandon the fundamental and pursue the trivial”.
What is the Chinese definition of 舍本求末?
舍:舍弃;求:追求。抛弃根本的、主要的,而去追求枝节的、次要的。比喻不抓根本环节,而只在枝节问题上下功夫。
Copy the pinyin for 舍本求末 →Choose tone marks or tone numbers and copy the complete four-character reading.Read Chinese vocabulary and idiom guides →Continue with words, phrases, and idioms explained through natural examples.

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