走弯路 (zǒu wān lù) — to take a detour; to take an indirect route (literal); (figurative) to take a roundabout approach; to waste effort by using the wrong method
Definition
A set phrase meaning literally 'walk a curved road', used figuratively for wasting time or effort on the wrong method. Unlike 绕行 (a literal road detour) or 绕远儿 (a longer route), 走弯路 emphasizes the lost effort, not the physical path.
phrase
to take a detourto take an indirect route (literal)(figurative) to take a roundabout approachto waste effort by using the wrong method
Examples
- ，走弯路，。Wèi le bì miǎn dǔ chē, wǒ men jué dìng bù zǒu wān lù, ér shì zǒu xiǎo lù.To avoid traffic jams, we decided not to take a detour and instead took a small road.
- ，走弯路。Xué xí rèn hé jì néng dōu xū yào shí jiān, zhí jiē zhǎo jié jìng fǎn ér róng yì zǒu wān lù.Learning any skill takes time; trying to find shortcuts may actually lead you to take a roundabout path.
- ，，。Zài chuàng yè de guò chéng zhōng, tā zǒu le bù shǎo wān lù, cái zuì zhōng chéng gōng.In the process of starting a business, he took many detours before finally succeeding.
Appears in
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