Chinese word

误

Pronunciation

Pinyinwù

Meaning

  • verbmistake

Example

她误按了删除键。tā wù àn le shān chú jiàn

She mistakenly pressed the Delete key.

Illustration for 误 (mistake)

More examples

他误把密码发给了别人。tā wù bǎ mì mǎ fā gěi le bié rén

He accidentally sent the password to someone else.

Core concept

The intended path is missed, so a thought, choice, or operation ends up wrong without requiring deliberate wrongdoing.

Common phrases

  • 误按wù àn

    press by mistake

  • 误操作wù cāo zuò

    operate incorrectly

  • 误解wù jiě

    misunderstand

Similar words

错cuò: Judge, choose, or act incorrectly, or give an incorrect answer.
弄错nòng cuò: Identify one person, thing, or detail as another by mistake.
犯错fàn cuò: Make a mistake because of carelessness or a failed attempt.
误解wù jiě: Take the meaning of someone's words or situation the wrong way.

Definition in Chinese

做出不正确的判断或行为，也可指无意间按错键或操作失误。zuò chū bú zhèng què de pàn duàn huò xíng wéi yě kě zhǐ wú yì jiān àn cuò jiàn huò cāo zuò shī wù

Word origin

误 (wù, "mistake") is simplified from 誤 (wù, "mistake"), a character associated with speech that is wrong or leads someone astray.

Usage tips

  • The word is useful in everyday technology talk because it can describe a wrong operation without suggesting carelessness or bad intent; the context determines whether the error was accidental.

Other meanings

  • press by mistakeverb
  • operate incorrectlyverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word