DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

拐彎抹角

简拐弯抹角 · 繁拐彎抹角

Mandarin · pinyin guǎi wān mò jiǎo

Characters in this entry

拐: guǎi · kidnap, abduct; turn
彎: Look up this written character
抹: mǒ · smear, apply, wipe off, erase
角: jiǎo · horn; angle, corner; point; Kangxi radical 148; 1st lunar mansion, determinative star Spica
弯: wān · bend, curve

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

3–1–4–3 · guai3 wan1 mo4 jiao3

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

4character links

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

gwaai2 waan1 mut3 gok3

Cantonese word readings for 拐彎抹角. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

gwaai2 waan1 mut3 gok3

Pleco · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Word reading; meanings not aligned.

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

(idiomatic) to twist and turn; to turn a corner here and there
(figurative) to speak in a roundabout way; to beat around the bush; to equivocate