excuse; pretext
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
excuse; pretext; something used as a justification
Often used in the phrase '找由头' (to look for an excuse). The word can also take the 'r' suffix (儿化) as '由头儿' (yóu tour).
Tā他
jiè借
le了
ge个
yóu由
tou头
，
tí提
qián前
lí离
kāi开
le了
jù聚
huì会
。
He used an excuse to leave the party early.
Zhè这
jiàn件
shì事
bú不
guò过
shì是
ge个
yóu由
tou头
bà罢
le了
，
zhēn真
zhèng正
de的
mù目
dì的
hái还
méi没
shuō说
chū出
lái来
。
This matter is just a pretext; the real purpose hasn't been revealed yet.
Show 1 more exampleShow fewer examples
Zhǎo找
yóu由
tou头
qǐng请
jià假
shì是
hěn很
róng容
yì易
de的
，
dàn但
bù不
chéng诚
shí实
。
It's easy to find an excuse to ask for leave, but it's dishonest.