贻误

貽誤

yíwù

verb

Meanings

1 to delay and harm
2 to cause adverse delay
3 to mislead and waste

Characters

to leave behind / bequeath

error / mistake

Examples

HSK 7-9

拖延会贻误病情。

Tuōyán huì yíwù bìngqíng.

Procrastination will worsen the illness.

HSK 7-9

情报有误，险些贻误战机。

Qíngbào yǒu wù, xiǎnxiē yíwù zhànjī.

The intelligence was wrong and nearly cost us the chance to fight.

Tips

usage

Formal register. Common collocations: 贻误战机 (lose the moment in battle), 贻误病情 (worsen illness through delay), 贻误工作 (impede work). The harm comes from delay or carelessness, not malice.

Stroke Order

贻 yí

误 wù