左右
zuǒyòuTraditional: 左右
Translation
approximately, around, left and right
Word origin
A compound of the opposites 左 (zuǒ, left) and 右 (yòu, right); pairing the two directions yields both the literal sense and, after a number, the meaning of approximately.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 左 (zuǒ, left) + 右 (yòu, right)
Stroke order
左
右
Examples
。
He is around thirty years old.
。
The meeting lasted about an hour.
。
Please look left and right before crossing the road.
百。
This piece of clothing costs around one hundred yuan.
，。
He was caught in a dilemma and did not know what to do.
左右 (zuǒ yòu) literally means left and right, but placed after a quantity it means approximately or around. It also appears in set phrases such as 左右为难, to be in a dilemma.
Used in
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Go to my review queueThis word is part of lesson 37.