seek advantage with little effort; cut corners
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to seek advantages or good results with little effort; to cut corners; to find clever shortcuts
Often implies finding clever ways to achieve good results without putting in the usual amount of effort. Can be neutral or slightly negative depending on context.
Tā他
zuò做
shì事
zǒng总
ài爱
tǎo讨
qiǎo巧
，
bù不
kěn肯
xià下
kǔ苦
gōng功
fu夫
。
He always likes to cut corners when working and is unwilling to put in hard effort.
Zhè这
piān篇
wén文
zhāng章
xiě写
de得
hěn很
tǎo讨
qiǎo巧
，
jì既
shěng省
lì力
yòu又
huò获
dé得
le了
hǎo好
píng评
。
This article was written in a clever way that saved effort while still receiving good reviews.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Zuò做
xué学
wèn问
bù不
néng能
tǎo讨
qiǎo巧
，
bì必
xū须
tā踏
tā踏
shi实
shi实
。
One cannot cut corners in academic research; one must be down-to-earth and conscientious.