出岔子 (chū chà zi) — to go wrong; to have problems; to encounter a hitch

Definition

A colloquial verb meaning 'to go wrong / hit a snag', used when a plan or process develops an unexpected hitch — lighter and more everyday than 出问题 ('problem' in general).

verb
to go wrongto have problemsto encounter a hitch

Examples

  • ，。
    Zhè jiàn shì chà diǎn chū le chà zi, xìng hǎo jí shí jiě jué le.
    This matter almost went wrong, but fortunately it was resolved in time.
  • ，出岔子。
    Tā zuò shì hěn xì xīn, hěn shǎo chū chà zi.
    He does things very carefully and seldom has problems.
  • ，出岔子。
    Chū le wèn tí yào gǎn jǐn jiě jué, bú yào děng zhe chū chà zi.
    If a problem occurs, solve it quickly — don't just wait for things to go wrong.

Origin

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

出 combines 止 (foot) and 凵 (cave) to show a foot stepping out of a cave.

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Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

岔 combines 分 (split; division) and 山 (mountain), showing a mountain divided into branches.

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A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →

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