本末倒置 (běn mò dào zhì) — to put the incidental before the fundamental; to confuse the main issue with minor details
Definition
Chengyu meaning to confuse the main point with the trivial — treating minor details as more important than the core. Like saying "missing the forest for the trees," but in one fixed four-character phrase.
idiom
to put the incidental before the fundamentalto confuse the main issue with minor details
Examples
- 本末倒置，。Zuò yán jiū bù néng běn mò dào zhì, zhī guān zhù shù jù ér hū shì lǐ lùn.When doing research, you can't put the cart before the horse by focusing only on data while ignoring theory.
- ，本末倒置。Tā wèi le shěng qián bù mǎi bǎo xiǎn, zhēn shì běn mò dào zhì.He didn't buy insurance just to save money — that's really putting the incidental before the fundamental.
- ，本末倒置。Gōng sī bǎ yíng xiāo fàng zài chǎn pǐn zhì liàng zhī qián, wán quán shì běn mò dào zhì.The company puts marketing ahead of product quality — that's completely putting the cart before the horse.
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