reverse priorities; put trivial above important
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesidiom
to reverse the order of importance; to put the trivial above the important; to put the cart before the horse
formalUsed to criticize situations where priorities are wrong, with unimportant matters receiving too much attention while crucial ones are neglected. Often used in formal or written contexts.
Wǒ我
men们
zuò做
gōng工
zuò作
bù不
néng能
qīng轻
zhòng重
dào倒
zhì置
，
yào要
zhuā抓
zhù住
zhǔ主
yào要
máo矛
dùn盾
。
We cannot put the cart before the horse in our work; we must grasp the principal contradiction.
Zhèng政
fǔ府
tóu投
zī资
bù不
yīng应
qīng轻
zhòng重
dào倒
zhì置
，
yào要
yōu优
xiān先
bǎo保
zhàng障
mín民
shēng生
。
Government investment should not reverse priorities; it must give priority to safeguarding people's livelihoods.
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Tā他
chǔ处
lǐ理
wèn问
tí题
shí时
zǒng总
shì是
qīng轻
zhòng重
dào倒
zhì置
，
suǒ所
yǐ以
xiào效
lǜ率
hěn很
dī低
。
He always puts trivial matters before important ones when handling problems, so his efficiency is very low.
Xiě写
wén文
zhāng章
yào要
xiáng详
lüè略
dé得
dàng当
，
bù不
néng能
qīng轻
zhòng重
dào倒
zhì置
。
When writing an article, one must properly balance detail and brevity, and not put the cart before the horse.