指桑骂槐

指桑罵槐
zhǐsāngmàhuái
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 to point at the mulberry and curse the locust
  2. 2 to make oblique accusations
  3. 3 to scold one person while targeting another

Examples

Tā zhè fān huà míngxiǎn shì zài zhǐ sāng mà huái.
Her words were clearly an indirect attack aimed at someone else.
Tā biǎomiàn pīpíng Xiǎo Wáng, qíshí shì zhǐ sāng mà huái, zhēnduì wǒ.
He pretended to criticize Xiao Wang, but he was really getting at me.
Yǒu yìjiàn jiù zhí shuō, bié zhǐ sāng mà huái.
If you have a complaint, say it directly; don't make indirect jabs.

Tips

memory
Picture yourself pointing at a mulberry tree but yelling at the locust tree beside it. The literal misdirection is the idiom: you scold A while everyone knows you mean B.

Stroke Order

zhǐ
sāng
huái