small tributary; snag; mishap
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 5 examplesnoun
small tributary (river); branch stream
neutralLiterally refers to a small branch or fork of a river. This sense is less common in modern everyday language.
Zhè这
tiáo条
dà大
hé河
yǒu有
xǔ许
duō多
chà岔
zi子
。
This big river has many small tributaries.
Wǒ我
men们
yán沿
zhe着
yī一
tiáo条
xī溪
liú流
de的
chà岔
zi子
wǎng往
shàng上
zǒu走
。
We walked up along a branch of the stream.
noun
snag; hitch; mishap; something that goes wrong
informalThis is the more common, figurative meaning in modern usage. It refers to an unexpected problem or error that disrupts plans.
Jì计
huà划
jìn进
xíng行
dé得
hěn很
shùn顺
lì利
，
méi没
chū出
rèn任
hé何
chà岔
zi子
。
The plan went very smoothly without any hitches.
Lù路
shàng上
qì汽
chē车
chū出
le了
diǎn点
chà岔
zi子
，
suǒ所
yǐ以
wǒ我
men们
lái来
wǎn晚
le了
。
The car had a little problem on the road, so we're late.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Zhè这
shì事
qiān千
wàn万
bù不
néng能
chū出
chà岔
zi子
。
We absolutely cannot afford any mishaps with this matter.