纵横交错
zòng héng jiāo cuò
criss-crossing; intersecting in every direction
Character by character
纵zòng
lengthwise
lengthwise
横héng
crosswise
crosswise
交jiāo
cross
cross
错cuò
interweave
interweave
Example
江南水乡河道纵横交错，过去出门全靠坐船。
In the water towns south of the Yangtze, canals criss-cross the land, and people used to get about by boat.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
For roads, rivers, wires and veins, and figuratively for tangled ties: 关系纵横交错. 四通八达 (lesson 1-3) stresses that you can reach anywhere; 纵横交错 only that the lines cross.
Learn this in Lesson 116 · HSK 7–9: 深中通道通车 (The Shenzhen–Zhongshan Link opens)
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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