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左擁右抱

简左拥右抱 · 繁左擁右抱

Mandarin · pinyin zuǒ yōng yòu bào

(idiom) to have a girl on each arm

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Characters in this entry

左: zuǒ · left; east; unorthodox, improper
擁: Look up this written character
右: yòu · right; west; right-wing
抱: bào · embrace, hold in arms, enfold
拥: yōng · embrace, hug, squeeze; crowd

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–1–4–4 · zuo3 yong1 you4 bao4

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

左擁右抱 · find source passages ↗ · 左拥右抱 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

zo2 jung2 jau6 pou5

Cantonese word readings for 左擁右抱. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) hugging girls on one's left and right; to have numerous concubines

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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