不得要领 (bù dé yào lǐng) — to fail to grasp the main point; to miss the key idea
Definition
A chengyu meaning 'to miss the main point' — the speaker or writer fails to grasp what really matters, so their question, report, or speech lacks focus. Used as a predicate verb in formal writing.
verb
to fail to grasp the main pointto miss the key idea
Examples
- ，不得要领。Tā jiǎng le bàn tiān, wǒ hái shì bù dé yào lǐng.He talked for a long time, but I still missed the main point.
- 不得要领，。Zhè piān bào gào xiě dé bù dé yào lǐng, zhòng diǎn bù tū chū.This report fails to grasp the main point — the key issues aren't highlighted.
- 不得要领，。Nǐ wèn de wèn tí bù dé yào lǐng, ràng wǒ hěn nán huí dá.The question you asked misses the main point, making it hard for me to answer.
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