Featured image for 东张西望 dōngzhāngxīwàng Dictionary entry displaying the word's hanzi, pinyin and the Mandarin Temple logo and tagline.

东张西望

东张西望 dōngzhāngxīwàng

东张西望 dōngzhāngxīwàng Meaning

Learn the Pinyin Pronunciation and 2 English Translations of the word 东张西望 dōngzhāngxīwàng .

Pīnyīn Pronunciation
dōngzhāngxīwàng | dong1 zhang1 xi1 wang4
English translation
to look in all directions (idiom)
to glance around

Learn the Chinese word 东张西望 dōngzhāngxīwàng in 6 easy steps:

About 东张西望 dōngzhāngxīwàng

Read some general information about the Chinese word 东张西望 dōngzhāngxīwàng .

Traditional form

東張西望

Part of speech

Name of a person / 人名 rén míng Rénmíng
Spread the word

Mandarin Temple

Come for Peace. Stay for Wisdom.

Etymology of 东张西望 dōngzhāngxīwàng

Familiarize yourself with the origin and historical aspects of the Chinese word 东张西望 dōngzhāngxīwàng .

Dōng

Type

pictographic

Explanation

Pictograph of a basket or a bag. The current meaning "east" is a phonetic loan. The simplified character Dōng was adapted from the cursive form of the traditional character dōng .

Positional decomposition

七小

Number of Strokes

5

Zhāng

Type

pictophonetic

Explanation

Simplified form of zhāng . Phonosemantic compound. gōng represents the meaning and zhǎng represents the sound.

Phonetic compound

cháng

Semantic compound

gōng

Positional decomposition

弓长

Number of Strokes

7

西

Type

pictographic

Explanation

Origin unclear. Variously explained as a bag or bird's nest.

Positional decomposition

兀囗

Number of Strokes

6

wàng

Type

ideographic

Explanation

Pictograph of a person standing up (𡈼) and gazing at the moon ( yuè ). wáng is a sound component that was added later.

Positional decomposition

⿱⿰亡月王

Number of Strokes

11

Write it!

Practice your Chinese writing skills and learn precisely where and when to draw every stroke of the
Chinese word 东张西望 dōngzhāngxīwàng .
     Press the Show Strokes button to see the strokes and their order and hit Start Drawing when you are
ready to practice.

Recommended Books for Learning Mandarin Chinese

AMAZON BOOKSHELF

AMAZON BOOKSHELF

A Boy and his Dragon

Once upon a time, a Little Boy was living in a village near the woods. One day, a Dragon came out of the cave secluded in the middle of the forest and began to relentlessly follow the Little Boy, always breathing on the back of his neck, burning the young boy at his slightest misstep.

The child received refuge in an old Temple where there were no mirrors allowed, and it was forbidden to speak of life before entering the sanctum. Ancient books, hidden rooms with unimaginable treasures and beauty beyond comprehension, became part of the boy’s new life.

Time went by until, one day, the now old young boy accidentally glimpses his own reflection in a pond. The Dragon smiled back.

Come for Knowledge. Stay for Wisdom.

Copyright © 2026 Mandarin Temple. All rights reserved.

Scroll to Top