{"path":"/entry/117001","title":"顾左右而言他 / 顧左右而言他 (gù zuǒ yòu ér yán tā) — Chinese Dictionary | Flashbao","description":"顾左右而言他 / 顧左右而言他 (gù zuǒ yòu ér yán tā): to digress from the topic of discussion. Explore meanings, example sentences and vocabulary decks.","catalog":null,"deck":null,"entry":{"reading":{"id":117001,"orthography":{"forms":{"SIMPLIFIED":["顾左右而言他"],"TRADITIONAL":["顧左右而言他"]}},"phonetic":"gù zuǒ yòu ér yán tā","phoneticKey":"gu4 zuo3 you4 er2 yan2 ta1","meanings":{"primary":[{"qualifier":{"segments":[{"dim":false,"runs":[{"kind":"TEXT","text":"idiom","orthography":null,"phonetic":null,"phoneticKey":null,"readingId":null}]}]},"synonyms":[{"segments":[{"dim":false,"runs":[{"kind":"TEXT","text":"to digress from the topic of discussion","orthography":null,"phonetic":null,"phoneticKey":null,"readingId":null}]}]}]}],"additional":[],"notes":[],"variantMeanings":[]},"classifiers":[],"pos":["VERB"],"frequency":null,"grammar":[],"spokenPhonetic":null},"otherReadings":[],"examples":[],"carriedReadings":[],"constructions":[],"status":null,"due":null,"reps":null,"lapses":null,"lastReview":null,"senses":[{"label":null,"relations":[{"kind":"SYNONYM","readingId":49264,"orthography":{"forms":{"SIMPLIFIED":["支吾其词"],"TRADITIONAL":["支吾其詞"]}},"phonetic":"zhī wú qí cí","gloss":{"simplified":"(idiom) to talk in a roundabout way to cover up the truth","traditional":null}}],"primary":true}],"origins":[{"literal":"to look left and right, then talk about something else","content":[{"type":"paragraph","text":{"simplified":"From Mencius (《孟子·梁惠王下》)","traditional":null}}],"examples":[{"text":{"simplified":"曰：「四境之内不治，则如之何？」王顾左右而言他。","traditional":"曰：「四境之內不治，則如之何？」王顧左右而言他。"},"phonetic":"Yuē: “Sìjìng zhī nèi bù zhì, zé rú zhī hé?” Wáng gù zuǒyòu ér yán tā.","english":"[Mencius] said, \"What would you do if your country is not managed well?\" The king looked left and right, then started talking about something else.","ref":"Mencius, c. 4ᵗʰ century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version"}],"senseScoped":false}],"decks":[{"id":27,"sourceName":"Chengyu","name":"Chengyu"}],"vocabularyScale":null,"vocabularyLevel":null}}