隔靴搔痒 scratching an itch through a boot
Explanation
比喻说话或做事不中肯，不贴切，没有抓住要点或关键。
A metaphor used to describe someone addressing an issue superficially without getting to the core of the matter.
Origin Story
从前，有一个秀才，准备参加科举考试。他花了很长时间研读四书五经，但是，他只记住了书中的字面意思，并没有理解书中的精髓。考试的时候，他写了一篇策论，文章华丽辞藻堆砌，却未能抓住考题的要义，最终落榜。一位老先生看到他的文章后，无奈地摇了摇头，说：『这篇文章就像隔靴搔痒，根本没有抓住问题的关键！』秀才听了老先生的点评，这才明白自己学习的方法不对，他仅仅是死记硬背，却忽略了理解和领会。后来，他改变了学习方法，认真思考，深入钻研，终于在以后的考试中取得了优异的成绩。
Once upon a time, there was a scholar preparing for the imperial examinations. He spent a lot of time studying the classics, but he only memorized the literal meanings of the texts and failed to grasp their essence. During the examination, he wrote an essay filled with flowery language, but it failed to address the main point of the question, leading to his failure. An old gentleman, upon reading his essay, shook his head and sighed, 'This essay is like scratching an itch through a boot, completely missing the key point!' The scholar realized his mistake in his learning approach. He had been simply memorizing instead of understanding and comprehending. Afterward, he changed his study habits, diligently pondering and thoroughly researching the texts. Finally, he succeeded in achieving excellent results in subsequent examinations.
Usage
常用来形容说话或做事不切实际，没有抓住要点。
Often used to describe someone doing something superficially, missing the point.
Examples
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他的发言只是隔靴搔痒，没有抓住问题的核心。
tā de fāyán zhǐshì géxuē sāoyǎng, méiyǒu zhuā zhù wèntí de héxīn
His speech only scratched the surface, failing to grasp the core issue.
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这篇论文隔靴搔痒，缺乏深入的分析。
zhè piān lùnwén géxuē sāoyǎng, quēfá shēnrù de fēnxī
This paper scratches the surface, lacking in-depth analysis.