attend to the superf icials and neglect the essentials; confuse (/reverse)cause and effect;make the sauce better than the fish;put first things last; put last things first; put (/set) the cart before the horse; put the nonessentials before the essentials; put the plough before the oxen;put the incidental before the foundamental;take the root for the branch
❍ 贵党二中全会所说的 “集中统一”，实在未免～。(《毛泽东选集》229) In talking about“centralization and unification”，the Second Plenary Session of the Central Executive Committee of your party is really confusing cause and effect.
本末倒置
put the cart before the horse;put the non-essential (or incidental)before the fundamental
本末倒置běn mò dào zhì
本末：主要和次要。形容把事物的主、次搞颠倒了。put the cart before the horse, take the branch for the root, confuse cause and effect