Definition
擦边球 literally means 'edge ball' in table tennis — a ball that barely touches the edge of the table. Figuratively, it refers to actions or statements that just barely stay within the legal or acceptable limits, often exploiting loopholes. You'll most often hear it in the phrase 打擦边球 ('to push the boundaries' or 'to skirt the rules'), used in business, advertising, and policy discussions.
n.
(in table tennis) an edge ball(figurative) an act that barely stays within what is legally or socially acceptableoften exploiting gray areas
Examples
- ，擦边球，。Zhège qiú dǎ de zhēn hǎo, shì ge cā biān qiú, cáipàn dōu méi kàn qīng.That shot was really good — it was an edge ball, even the referee didn't see it clearly.
- 擦边球，。Hěnduō guǎnggào dōu huì dǎ cā biān qiú, lìyòng fǎlǜ huīsè dìdài.Many advertisements push the boundaries by exploiting legal gray areas.
- ，擦边球。Tā de zhè zhǒng zuòfǎ suīrán bú fànfǎ, dàn míngxiǎn shì zài dǎ cā biān qiú.Although his method isn't illegal, it's clearly a way of skirting the rules.
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