本末倒置

本
末
倒
置
lit. to invert root and branch (idiom); fig. confusing cause and effect / to stress the incidental over the fundamental / to put the cart before the horse

Characters and words in 本末倒置

本
běn = b + (e)n3
root / stem / origin / source / this / the current / original / inherent / originally / classifier for books, periodicals, files etc
本 = 一 + 木 : Beelzebub (b) finds a Christmas tree (木) in the encampment ((e)n3) and feels like eating its roots (本). He uses a flute (一) to chop the roots right off.
本
末
the whole course of an event from beginning to end / ins and outs / the fundamental and the incidental
末
mò = m + o4
tip / end / final stage / latter part / inessential detail / powder / dust / opera role of old man
末 = 一 + 木 : Mahatma Gandhi set up a giant flute on a Christmas tree, trying to raise awareness for the Roof of the World in the observatory's bathroom. He chose the flute and the tree as symbols for the sky and nature, but as Jehovah’s Witness enters, she thinks it's the sky that has fallen down on our heads, and the end of days is ultimately there.
倒
dǎo = d + ao3
to fall; to collapse; to lie horizontally / to fail; to go bankrupt / to overthrow / to change (trains or buses) / to move around / to resell at a profit
倒 = 亻 + 到 : Rosa Luxemburg (亻) arrived (到) in the aorta (ao3) and is greeted by Don Quixote (d), who, clumsily, topples and falls on to the ground (倒) right before Rosa when he actually wants to hug her.
倒
dào = d + ao4
to invert; to place upside down or frontside back / to pour out / to tip out; to dump / inverted; upside down; reversed / to go backward / contrary to what one might expect; but; yet
倒
置
to invert
置
zhì = zh + Ø4
to install / to place / to put / to buy
置 = 直 + 罒 : James II of England (zh) decided to go straight edge (直) and installs (置) his new seat (置) in the space station's bathroom (Ø4). He's going to use a fishing net (罒) as a kind of spartan, straight-edge hammock.

Words with 本末倒置

本末倒置 is not used as a component in another word.

Sentences with 本末倒置

本末倒置 currently does not appear in any sentence.