横七竖八

橫七豎八

héngqī-shùbā

idiom HSK 7-9

Meanings

1 in disorder
2 in a mess
3 scattered about
4 lying all over the place

Characters

Examples

HSK 4

地上横七竖八地摆着许多箱子。

Dìshàng héngqī-shùbā de bǎi zhe xǔduō xiāngzi.

Many boxes lay scattered all over the floor.

HSK 4

孩子们横七竖八地躺在地上。

Háizi men héngqī-shùbā de tǎng zài dìshàng.

The children lay sprawled all over the ground.

Tips

memory

Literal: "horizontal seven, vertical eight" - things going every which way, some this way, some that way. Picture 7s and 8s tumbled randomly.

Stroke Order

横 héng

七 qī

竖 shù

八 bā