隔靴搔癢 gé xuē sāo yǎng

lit. to scratch the outside of the boot (idiom)

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. lit. to scratch the outside of the boot (idiom)
  2. 2. fig. beside the point
  3. 3. ineffectual

Characters

Character Meaning
隔 gé HSK 5
to separate; at a distance from; after or at an interval of
靴 xuē
boots; variant of 靴xuē
搔 sāo
to scratch; old variant of 騷sāo
癢 yǎng
to itch; to tickle; variant of 癢yǎng