put the cart before the horse
本末倒置
讲解:
马应该套在车子(cart)的前面。如果反过来,把车子放 在马前面,就会甘步难行。 put the cart before the horse就表示这种「本末倒置」的情形,也可以写成cart-before-the-horse的复合字,当作形容词用。
例句:
The initiative suggests measures to count warheads on missiles,tag weapons at manufacturing plants and ban such impediments to verification as encryption of missile test radio signals during launches. “This isn't putting the cart before the horse,says Democratic Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia,“but putting them next to each other, where they belong:’(出自:TIME,Jul. 31, 1989)
这项计划提出一些方法来计算飞弹上的弹头数目、将工厂中的武 器贴上标签、并禁止阻挠验证的行为,例如在发射时把试射飞弹的无线电讯号加密码等等。乔治亚州民主党参议员山姆努恩表示:「这不是把车套在马前面,而是并驾齐驱。」