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東拉西扯

简东拉西扯 · 繁東拉西扯

Mandarin · pinyin dōng lā xī chě

to talk about this and that (idiom); to ramble incoherently

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Characters in this entry

東: dōng · east, eastern, eastward
拉: lā · pull, drag; seize, hold; lengthen
西: xī · west(ern); westward; occident; Kangxi radical 146
扯: chě · rip up, tear down; raise; haul
东: dōng · east, eastern, eastward

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

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Mandarin tones

1–1–1–3 · dong1 la1 xi1 che3

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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.

東拉西扯 · find source passages ↗ · 东拉西扯 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

dung1 laai1 sai1 ce2

Cantonese word readings for 東拉西扯. 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) to ramble incoherently; to talk about this and that

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

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