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拉东补西
拉东补西
拉东补西
拉东补西
拉东补西
拉东补西
拉东补西
拉东补西

拉东补西 — “To borrow from Peter to pay Paul”

拉东补西 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to borrow from Peter to pay Paul”. To constantly shift funds or resources to barely cover existing debts or deficiencies. Literally, “To pull from the east to mend the west”.

Frequency

拉东补西 Pronunciation and Pinyin

拉东补西 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
拉
lā8pull, drag, or draw
东
dōng5east, host
补
bǔ8mend, supplement, or benefit
西
xī6west; Western countries

Example Sentence with 拉东补西

他的小生意经营不善,每天都得拉东补西,日子过得很艰难。
His small business was poorly managed, and he had to constantly borrow from Peter to pay Paul every day, making life very difficult.

Idioms Related to 拉东补西

Synonyms of 拉东补西

  • chāi拆dōng东qiáng墙bǔ补xī西qiáng墙rob Peter to pay Paul

More idioms starting with 拉

  • lā拉sān三chě扯sì四drag in irrelevant people or matters
  • lā拉bù不xià下liǎn脸too embarrassed to refuse
  • lā拉rén人xià下shuǐ水involve someone in a wrongful act
  • lā拉dà大qí旗zuò作hǔ虎pí皮invoke powerful name to deceive
  • lā拉jiā家dài带kǒu口supporting a large family
  • lā拉bāng帮jié结huǒ伙form cliques for selfish purposes
  • lā拉bāng帮jié结pài派form cliques or factions
  • lā拉lā拉chě扯chě扯pulling and tugging
  • lā拉lā拉zá杂zá杂disorderly, disorganized, messy, and jumbled
  • lā拉bǎi捭cuī摧cáng藏crush and injure
  • lā拉xiǔ朽cuī摧kū枯destroy something weak with overwhelming force
  • lā拉kū枯shé折xiǔ朽overcome with overwhelming force or ease

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Questions about 拉东补西

What does 拉东补西 mean?

拉东补西 (lā dōng bǔ xī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to borrow from Peter to pay Paul”.

How do you pronounce 拉东补西?

拉东补西 is pronounced lā dōng bǔ xī in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 拉东补西 literally mean?

Literally, 拉东补西 means “to pull from the east to mend the west”. It is used to mean “to borrow from Peter to pay Paul”.

What is the Chinese definition of 拉东补西?

多指欠债,借东家还西家,左支右绌

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