东A西B
here and there, all over: doing A and B in a scattered way
Structure
东 动词1 西 动词2
What it means
A fixed four-character frame: doing A and B here and there, in a scattered, repeated, often aimless way. 东 and 西 do not mean east and west here.
How it is built
东 + verb1 + 西 + verb2, with two near-synonyms or a pair: 他东张西望 (he looked all around). Other sets: 东奔西走 (rush about), 东躲西藏 (hide here and there), 东拼西凑, 东拉西扯.
When to use it
A vivid set idiom in speech and writing. Many are critical: 东拉西扯 (rambling talk), 东拼西凑 (cobbled together). Related frames: 自A自B (6-15), 忽A忽B (6-18).
Watch out
The sets are fixed: learn them as whole phrases rather than making up new pairs. Do not translate 东 and 西 literally: 东奔西走 is “rushing about”, not “running east and west”.
Examples
他一进商场就东张西望，好像在找什么人。
The moment he entered the mall he started looking all around, as if searching for someone.
为了这个项目，他一年到头东奔西走，很少在家。
For this project he is rushing about all year round and is hardly ever home.
这篇文章东拼西凑，看不出作者自己的观点。
This essay is cobbled together from bits and pieces; you cannot see the author’s own view.
Learn this in Lesson 224 · HSK 9+: 金庸与江湖 (Jin Yong and the world of the jianghu)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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