DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
顧左右而言他
简 顾左右而言他 · 繁 顧左右而言他Mandarin · pinyin gù zuǒ yòu ér yán tā
Meanings
- (idiom) to digress from the topic of discussion
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Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.
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Mandarin tones
4–3–4–2–2–1 · gu4 zuo3 you4 er2 yan2 ta1
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
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Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (idiomatic) to try to change the subject of a conversation; to evade the subject under discussion and talk about other affairs; to steer clear of the crucial point
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack