旁敲侧击 pángqiāocèjī to beat around the bush Origin Definitions Defs Strokes Stroke Words Sentences Sents 旁 páng locative side side; beside; next to敲 qiāo verb to knock to hit, strike, or tap; to beat a drum; to rap on a door or surface侧击 側擊 cèjī to make oblique remarks to criticize or comment on something indirectly, similar to the idiom 旁敲侧击 pángqiāocèjī