indirect， circuitous， roundabout
These adjectives mean not leading by a direct or straight line or course to a destination.
这些形容词的意思是“并非通过一条直线或直路达到目的的”。
Indirect implies a deviation from the shortest route between starting point and destination:
Indirect 暗指偏离起点与终点之间的最短路
Sometimes taking the indirect path saves time. 有时不走直道反倒可以节省时间。
Circuitous suggests a twisting or winding and lengthy course: Circuitous 表明弯曲或环状的长路：
We had to take a circuitous route because of an accident on the turnpike. 由于收费公路上发生了事故，我们不得不走一条弯路。
Roundabout implies taking a course that circles: Roundabout 暗指所走的路成圆环形：
I chose a roundabout road to avoid the rush-hour traffic. In their extended senses the terms are applied to something that is not open and straightforward; they sometimes imply an effort to evade or deceive: 我绕了个圈，以避开高峰时的车流。 这些词具有引申义，用以指那些不公开的或不直截了当的事物；它们有时也指那些掩盖事实或欺骗别人的努力：
“Persecution is a bad and indirect way to plant religion” (Thomas Browne).
“压迫是宗教产生的一个坏的间接原因” （托马斯·布朗）。
His explanation was circuitous and puzzling. 他的解释在兜圈子，让人费解。
“I heard in a roundabout way that she's going to marry an old neighborof theirs” (Arthur S.M. Hutchinson).
“我间接地听人说起，她要嫁给他们过去的一个邻居” （阿瑟·S·M·哈钦森）