走调

走調

zǒudiào

verb #20,673

Meanings

1 to go off-key
2 to sing out of tune
3 to deviate from the original tone or idea

Characters

to go / to walk / to leave

tune / tone / key (musical)

Examples

他唱歌总是走调，但他自己不知道。

Tā chànggē zǒng shì zǒudiào, dàn tā zìjǐ bù zhīdào.

He always sings off-key but doesn't know it himself.

这首歌的第三段他唱走调了。

Zhè shǒu gē de dì sān duàn tā chàng zǒudiào le.

He went off-key on the third section of the song.

讨论走调了，偏离了原本的主题。

Tǎolùn zǒudiào le, piānlíle yuánběn de zhǔtí.

The discussion went off-track and strayed from the original topic.

Tips

usage

走调 is used both literally (singing off-key) and figuratively (a conversation or plan deviating from its intended direction). The figurative meaning is very common: 话题走调 (the topic drifted), 计划走调 (the plan went off course).

Stroke Order

走 zǒu

调 tiáo