抄近 chāojìn to take a shortcut Origin Definitions Defs Strokes Stroke Words Sentences Sents 抄近路 chāojìnlù to take a shortcut 1. To travel along the shortest path to reach a destination. 2. To attempt to achieve a goal by using a fast or clever method instead of doing things the hard way.抄近儿 chāojìnr to take a shortcut To take a shorter route than the usual one.