Definition
歪打正着 is a four-character idiom meaning 'to hit the target by sheer luck' or 'to achieve a good result despite using the wrong method' — literally 'crooked hit lands squarely'. The imagery is of shooting an arrow crookedly yet still hitting the bullseye. Use this when someone succeeds unexpectedly through an unplanned or unorthodox approach, not through skill. The last character 着 is pronounced zháo, not zhe, and functions as a resultative complement meaning 'to come into contact'.
v.p.
to succeed by accidenta lucky fluke
idiom
to hit the mark despite using the wrong method
Examples
- 歪打正着，。Zhè cì bǐsài tā wāi dá jūrán ná le dì-yī.He scored a lucky hit in this competition and surprisingly took first place.
- ，歪打正着。Wǒ běnlái méi bào xīwàng, jiéguǒ wāi dá chénggōng le.I didn't have any hope at first, but it turned out to be a lucky hit and I succeeded.
- ，歪打正着。Tā de dá'àn wánquán shì cāi de, què wāi dá dá duì le.His answer was a complete guess, yet he somehow hit the mark by luck.
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