Definition
误事 (wù shì) is a separable verb (离合词, v.o.) meaning 'to cause delays, to mess things up, or to bungle a matter'. The verb 误 (to delay/error) and the noun 事 (matter) can split when you need to insert aspect markers (了/过) or other elements in between — for example, 误了大事 ('to have held up an important matter') or 误过事 ('to have once bungled things'). It is commonly used in work, travel, and daily planning contexts to warn against procrastination or carelessness.
v.o.
to hold things upto cause delaysto bungle mattersto mess things up
Examples
- ，误事。Tā zuòshì zǒngshì tuōtuōlālā, jīngcháng wù shì.He always procrastinates and often holds things up.
- ，。Jiù yīnwèi wǎn dào le shí fēnzhōng, tā wù le yí jiàn dà shì.Just because he arrived ten minutes late, he caused a major delay and bungled an important matter.
- 误事，。Bié ràng zhèxiē xiǎoshì wù shì, wǒmen děi àn jìhuà jìnxíng.Don't let these minor things bungle things — we need to proceed according to plan.
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