绕行

• Pinyin: rào xíng
• Hanzi breakdown: 绕 = 糸 + 尧 (thread + revolve — to wind around); 行 = 彳 + 亍 (left step + right step — to travel)

Meaning

To take a detour; to go around an obstacle or restricted area; to travel a longer route to avoid something.

Used in traffic management (前方施工，请绕行 — construction ahead, please detour), military strategy, and navigation. Also used figuratively for an indirect approach to a problem. 绕行路线 (detour route) and 强制绕行 (compulsory detour) are common official usages.

Examples

1. 由于隧道封闭检修，过往车辆须按照路侧指示牌绕行，预计绕行距离约十五公里。 Because the tunnel is closed for maintenance, vehicles must follow the roadside signs and take a detour; the detour is expected to be about 15 kilometers.
2. 为规避风暴带来的强气流区域，机长决定绕行，但这将额外消耗约四十分钟的飞行时间。 To avoid strong turbulence caused by the storm system, the captain decided to fly around it, but that will add about 40 minutes to the flight time.
3. 核心施工区域已设置围挡封堵，行人须从旁侧临时便道绕行，不得穿越作业区。 The core construction area has been fenced off and blocked; pedestrians must use the temporary path on the side and may not pass through the work zone.

Usage Guide

Context: traffic, aviation, navigation, military

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 地铁施工导致主干道封闭，交通部门建议驾驶人通过辅路绕行，并预计绕行时间约增加二十分钟。(Metro construction has led to the closure of the main road; the traffic department recommends that drivers detour via the secondary road, with an estimated additional travel time of about twenty minutes.)
• 外交使节为避免经过敏感地区，特意安排车队绕行，取道城市南侧的快速路抵达目的地。(To avoid passing through a sensitive area, the diplomatic convoy deliberately took a detour via the elevated expressway on the southern side of the city to reach the destination.)

Don't Say

• 他在话题上绕行了很久 — use 他在这个话题上绕了很久的弯 or 他一直回避这个话题; 绕行 refers to physical detours, not conversational evasion

Origin & History

绕 (go around/circle) + 行 (travel/go) — to travel around something rather than going directly through it

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal