節外生枝 jié wài shēng zhī

new problems arise; complications occur

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. a new branch grows out of a knot (idiom); fig. side issues keep arising

Characters

Character Meaning
節 jié
festival
外 wài HSK 2
outside; external; foreign
生 shēng HSK 1
life; to be born; raw
枝 zhī HSK 6
branch; classifier for sticks, rods, pencils etc