隔靴搔癢 gé xuē sāo yǎng

DEFINITIONS

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

CHARACTERS

隔 gé
HSK 5
separate, partition
靴 xuē boots
搔 sāo to scratch
癢 yǎng itch