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左顧右盼

简左顾右盼 · 繁左顧右盼

Mandarin · pinyin zuǒ gù yòu pàn

glancing to left and right (idiom); to look all around

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Characters in this entry

左: zuǒ · left; east; unorthodox, improper
顧: Look up this written character
右: yòu · right; west; right-wing
盼: pàn · look, gaze; expect, hope for
顾: gù · look back; look at; look after

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

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Mandarin tones

3–4–4–4 · zuo3 gu4 you4 pan4

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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.

左顧右盼 · find source passages ↗ · 左顾右盼 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) to look around anxiously or smugly

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

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