DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

東奔西走

简东奔西走 · 繁東奔西走

Mandarin · pinyin dōng bēn xī zǒu

to run this way and that (idiom); to rush about busily
to bustle about
to hopscotch
also 東跑西顛 dōng pǎo xī diān

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

東: dōng · east, eastern, eastward
奔: bēn · run fast, flee; rush about; run
西: xī · west(ern); westward; occident; Kangxi radical 146
走: zǒu · walk, go on foot; run; leave; Kangxi radical 156
东: dōng · east, eastern, eastward

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

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

1–1–1–3 · dong1 ben1 xi1 zou3

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

5character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

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.

東奔西走 · find source passages ↗ · 东奔西走 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

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 rush about busily; to busy oneself; to run about; to be on the move

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

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack