兜圈子

dōuquānzi

phrase #12,385

Meanings

1 to go around in circles
2 to beat about the bush

Characters

to wrap around; to go around

Examples

HSK 2

别兜圈子了，直接说吧。

Bié dōuquānzi le, zhíjiē shuō ba.

Stop beating around the bush and just say it.

HSK 7-9

我们在胡同里兜了半天圈子。

Wǒmen zài hútòng lǐ dōu le bàntiān quānzi.

We went around in circles in the alleyways for ages.

Tips

usage

兜圈子 has both a literal meaning (going around in circles physically) and a figurative one (being evasive in speech). The figurative use is more common in daily conversation.

Stroke Order

兜 dōu

圈 quān

子 zǐ