241Japanese idiom 四字熟語
本末転倒
ほんまつてんとうHonmatsu tentō
“Mistaking the branch for the root.”
Word for wordRoot and twig overturned.
The meaning
Exhausting yourself on the accessory while forgetting the essential: tending the tool more than the work, the form more than the substance. The ill is frequent, the cure simple — ask again why.
At the origin
A four-character idiom in constant Japanese use.
The characters
In practice
On your current task, ask the question again: what was the root?