顾左右而言他 — “To look left and right and talk about other things”
顾左右而言他 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to look left and right and talk about other things”. To deliberately avoid the main topic and change the subject; to prevaricate. Literally, “Look left and right and talk about something else”.
顾左右而言他 Pronunciation and Pinyin
顾左右而言他 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 顾左右而言他
Origin and Story of 顾左右而言他
King Xuan of Qi was fond of waging wars and accumulating riches. Grand official Feng Yue invited Mencius to advise the King.
Mencius asked King Xuan what should be done if a friend betrayed a trust or an official proved incompetent. King Xuan promptly replied, 'Sever ties' and 'Remove them from office.'
Mencius then asked, 'What should be done if a ruler engages in foreign military campaigns and hoards wealth domestically?' King Xuan looked left and right, evading the question and remaining silent.
Idioms Related to 顾左右而言他
Synonyms of 顾左右而言他
More idioms starting with 顾
- gù顾sān三bù不gù顾sì四unable to attend to everything
- gù顾quán全dà大jú局consider the overall situation
- gù顾nèi内zhī之yōu忧worries about internal affairs
- gù顾qián前bù不gù顾hòu后heedless of consequences
- gù顾míng名sī思yì义meaning apparent from its name
- gù顾hòu后zhān瞻qián前think carefully before acting
- gù顾fù复zhī之ēn恩parental nurturing kindness
- gù顾dà大jú局，，shí识dà大tǐ体prioritize common good
- gù顾tóu头bù不gù顾wěi尾focus on one, neglect others
- gù顾tóu头bù不gù顾jiǎo脚shortsighted and inconsiderate
- gù顾xiǎo小shī失dà大penny-wise and pound-foolish
- gù顾yǐng影nòng弄zī姿admire oneself and pose vainly
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Open the tool →Questions about 顾左右而言他
What does 顾左右而言他 mean?
顾左右而言他 (gù zuǒ yòu ér yán tā) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to look left and right and talk about other things”.
How do you pronounce 顾左右而言他?
顾左右而言他 is pronounced gù zuǒ yòu ér yán tā in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 顾左右而言他 literally mean?
Literally, 顾左右而言他 means “Look left and right and talk about something else”. It is used to mean “to look left and right and talk about other things”.
Where does 顾左右而言他 come from?
顾左右而言他 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 顾左右而言他?
看着两旁的人，说别的话。形容无话对答，有意避开本题，用别的话搪塞过去。