Definition
不着边际 is a four-character idiom (chengyu) that literally means 'does not touch the edge'. It describes speech, writing, or ideas that are irrelevant, off-topic, or disconnected from the main point. You can use it to criticize someone for wandering too far from the subject at hand.
idiom
irrelevantoff-topicnot to the point
Examples
- ,。Tā shuōhuà zǒng shì bù zhuó biān jì, ràng rén tīng bu míngbai zhòngdiǎn.He always speaks off-topic, making it hard to understand the main point.
- 著,。Nà piān wénzhāng xiě de bù zhuó biān jì, biānjí ràng tā chóngxīn xiě.That article was written irrelevantly, so the editor asked him to rewrite it.
- ,著。Zài huìyì shàng, tā de fāyán wánquán bù zhuó biān jì.At the meeting, his comments were completely off-topic.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.