主次

zhǔcì
noun #34,689

Meanings

  1. 1 primary and secondary
  2. 2 the important and the less important
  3. 3 order of priority

Examples

Zuòshì yào fēnqīng zhǔcì.
When doing things, you have to distinguish what is primary from what is secondary.
Tā bù fēn zhǔcì, shénme dōu xiǎng zhuā.
He doesn't separate priorities — he tries to grab everything at once.

Tips

usage
Almost always appears in two set patterns: 分清主次 (distinguish priorities) — used positively, as advice — and 主次 (not distinguishing priorities) — used as criticism of someone overwhelmed or scatterbrained. The compound (primary) + (secondary) is itself the classical scheme behind Chinese ranking words.

Stroke Order

zhǔ