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右手画圆,左手画方
右手画圆,左手画方
右手画圆,左手画方
右手画圆,左手画方
右手画圆,左手画方
右手画圆,左手画方
右手画圆,左手画方
右手画圆,左手画方

右手画圆,左手画方 — “To attempt two different and often conflicting tasks simultaneously”

右手画圆,左手画方 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to attempt two different and often conflicting tasks simultaneously”. Which can either lead to a lack of focus and failure, or demonstrate exceptional dexterity and mental agility. Literally, “Right hand draws a circle, left hand draws a square”.

Frequency

右手画圆,左手画方 Pronunciation and Pinyin

右手画圆,左手画方 Character Breakdown

CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
右
yòu5right side, conservative
手
shǒu4hand, skill, person, handy
画
huà8draw, paint, or picture
圆
yuán10round, complete, smooth
,,—
左
zuǒ5left side
手
shǒu4hand, skill, person, handy
画
huà8draw, paint, or picture
方
fāng4square, direction, method, just

Example Sentence with 右手画圆,左手画方

小明总是想同时做很多事情,一会儿看书一会儿玩手机,真是右手画圆,左手画方,结果什么都没做好。
Xiao Ming always wants to do many things at once; one moment he's reading, the next he's playing on his phone. It's truly like drawing a circle with his right hand and a square with his left, and as a result, he doesn't do anything well.

Idioms Related to 右手画圆,左手画方

More idioms starting with 右

  • yòu右chuán传zhī之bā八zhāng章give a slap as a warning
  • yòu右jūn军xí习qì气blindly imitating ancient masters
  • yòu右jiǎn翦zuǒ左tú屠Completely wipe out; utterly destroy

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Questions about 右手画圆,左手画方

What does 右手画圆,左手画方 mean?

右手画圆,左手画方 (yòu shǒu huà yuán , zuǒ shǒu huà fāng) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to attempt two different and often conflicting tasks simultaneously”.

How do you pronounce 右手画圆,左手画方?

右手画圆,左手画方 is pronounced yòu shǒu huà yuán , zuǒ shǒu huà fāng in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 右手画圆,左手画方 literally mean?

Literally, 右手画圆,左手画方 means “Right hand draws a circle, left hand draws a square”. It is used to mean “to attempt two different and often conflicting tasks simultaneously”.

What is the Chinese definition of 右手画圆,左手画方?

比喻用心不专,什么事也办不成。也形容心思聪明,动作敏捷。

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