拐弯抹角

guǎi wān mò jiǎo

  • Meaning

    Literal

    To go around the curve and skirt the corners; to zig zag

    Usage

    To speak or write in a roundabout fashion

  • Connotation

    Neutral

  • Usage Examples

    他没有拐弯抹角，直接提出了钱的问题 | Tā méi yǒu guǎiwānmòjiǎo, zhíjiē tíchū le qián de wèntí
    He didn't beat around the bush and directly brought up the issue of money
    [Source]

    这条山路拐弯抹角的，难走极了 | Zhè tiáo shānlù guǎiwānmòjiǎo de, nán zǒu jí le
    This mountain road is extremely windy and difficult to walk
    [Source]

  • Equivalents

    English

    To beat around the bush

    Chinese

    转弯抹角 (zhuǎn wān mò jiǎo)

  • Entry Notes

    None

  • Origin

    《东堂老》(Dōng Táng Lǎo), a work by Yuán Dynasty (元, 1279 - 1368) author 秦简夫 Qín Jiǎn Fū)

  • Story

    This chengyu is from a line in the work listed in the "Origin" section above

  • Citations and Helpful Resources

    • 汉语成语小词典 (hànyǔ chéngyǔ xiǎo cídiǎn)
    • 现代汉语规范词典 (xiàndài hànyǔ guīfàn cídiǎn)
    • 多功能成语词典 (duō gōngnéng chéngyǔ cídiǎn)
    • 汉语大词典 (hànyǔ dà cídiǎn)
    • ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary
    • Pleco Basic Chinese-English Dictionary
    • 百度百科[x]