Chinese word

东张西望

Pronunciation

Pinyindōng zhāng xī wàng

Meaning

  • idiomlook around

Example

他在门口东张西望。tā zài mén kǒu dōng zhāng xī wàng

He is looking around at the entrance.

Illustration for 东张西望 (look around)

More examples

他在陌生的街区四处东张西望，寻找路标。tā zài mò shēng de jiē qū sì chù dōng zhāng xī wàng xún zhǎo lù biāo

He looked around everywhere in the unfamiliar neighborhood, searching for a street sign.

Core concept

An alert gaze keeps shifting between directions instead of resting on one spot.

Common phrases

  • 东张西望地看dōng zhāng xī wàng dì kàn

    look around restlessly

  • 四处东张西望sì chù dōng zhāng xī wàng

    look around everywhere

  • 在窗前东张西望zài chuāng qián dōng zhāng xī wàng

    look around by the window

Similar words

左顾右盼zuǒ gù yòu pàn: Turn the eyes toward both sides to survey the nearby surroundings.
探头探脑tàn tóu tàn nǎo: Lean forward and stick out the head to sneak a look at what is nearby.

Definition in Chinese

眼睛在短时间内多次向左右或四周扫视，表示对周围事物的注意、好奇或不安。yǎn jīng zài duǎn shí jiān nèi duō cì xiàng zuǒ yòu huò sì zhōu sǎo shì biǎo shì duì zhōu wéi shì wù de zhù yì hào qí huò bù ān

Word origin

The phrase pairs 东 (dōng, "east") with 西 (xī, "west") to suggest broad directions and combines them with 张 (zhāng, "stretch") + 望 (wàng, "look") for the act of searching with the eyes.

Usage tips

  • The expression can sound mildly critical in conversation when the person seems visibly restless or distracted, even though the action itself is not necessarily negative.

Opposites

Word lists with this word