pass the buck; shift responsibility
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to pass the buck; to shift responsibility to others; to evade responsibility by passing problems back and forth
Often used to describe bureaucratic behavior where departments or officials avoid taking responsibility for solving problems, instead passing them to each other like a ball.
Yào要
jiū纠
zhèng正
bàn办
shì事
tuō拖
lā拉
、
tī踢
pí皮
qiú球
de的
zuò作
fēng风
。
We must correct the work style of dragging out tasks and passing the buck.
Liǎng两
gè个
bù部
mén门
hù互
xiāng相
tī踢
pí皮
qiú球
，
wèn问
tí题
bàn半
nián年
dōu都
méi没
jiě解
jué决
。
The two departments keep passing the buck to each other, and the issue hasn't been resolved for half a year.
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Qún群
zhòng众
de的
shì事
bù不
néng能
tī踢
pí皮
qiú球
，
bì必
xū须
mǎ马
shàng上
chǔ处
lǐ理
。
We cannot pass the buck when it comes to the people's affairs; it must be handled immediately.