邪路 (xiélù) · evil path; wicked way

Measure Word

一条邪路 tiáo

Meanings

1 evil path; wicked way
2 the wrong road (morally)
3 shortcut / side road (older sense)

Characters

Examples

HSK 4

他交了坏朋友，慢慢走上了邪路。

Tā jiāo le huài péngyou, mànmàn zǒushàng le xiélù.

He fell in with bad friends and slowly went down the wrong path.

HSK 4

父母担心儿子走邪路。

Fùmǔ dānxīn érzi zǒu xiélù.

The parents worried that their son would go astray.

HSK 4

做生意要走正道，别走邪路。

Zuò shēngyi yào zǒu zhèngdào, bié zǒu xiélù.

In business you should follow the right path, not the wrong one.

Tips

usage

邪路 today almost always pairs with the verb 走 (zǒu) 'to walk': 走邪路 'to go down the wrong path'. The directly opposite expression is 走正道 'to follow the right path'. The older literal meaning of 'side / shortcut road' has mostly faded from modern speech.