bei6 cung5 zau6 heng1避重就輕避重就轻
Jyutpingbei6 cung5 zau6 heng1
Yalebeih chúhng jauh hēng
Definition
To avoid difficult tasks or key issues and focus on easier or trivial ones instead.
- to avoid difficult tasks and opt for easier ones
- to dodge the main issue and focus only on unimportant points
neutralworkcommunication
How it's used
This idiom is frequently used to criticize someone for being evasive or lacking accountability. It often appears in professional or academic contexts when someone is accused of sidestepping the core of a problem to focus on trivial details. It carries a negative connotation of being cowardly or lazy.
Examples
Don't always avoid the hard parts of your work, you need to face reality.
He was dodging the main issues in the meeting; he clearly didn't want to solve the problem.
Related words
Common phrases
an evasive attitude
to answer in an evasive manner
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a literal description of physical weight, but it is almost exclusively used in a metaphorical sense regarding tasks, responsibilities, or arguments.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
