王顾左右而言他

王顧左右而言他

wánggùzuǒyòuéryántā

idiom

Meanings

1 the king looked left and right and talked of other things
2 to change the subject to dodge an awkward question

Characters

other things (classical)

Examples

HSK 4

记者问他关键问题，他王顾左右而言他。

Jìzhě wèn tā guānjiàn wèntí, tā wánggùzuǒyòu'éryántā.

When the reporter asked the key question, he looked left and right and changed the subject.

HSK 7-9

领导在会上王顾左右而言他，回避责任。

Lǐngdǎo zài huì shàng wánggùzuǒyòu'éryántā, huíbì zérèn.

At the meeting, the leader looked around and talked of other things, dodging responsibility.

Tips

history

From Mencius 《孟子·梁惠王下》: when Mencius asked King Xuan of Qi three increasingly pointed questions about his duty to his people, the king '顾左右而言他' - looked at his attendants and changed the subject. It is glossed as 'to leave the topic and dodge a question that is hard to answer'.

usage

Sometimes cited without 王 (just 顾左右而言他). Used in political reporting, courtrooms, and everyday arguments when someone dodges a direct question.

Stroke Order

王 wáng

顾 gù

左 zuǒ

右 yòu

而 ér

言 yán

他 tā