天南海北

tiānnán-hǎiběi
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 from every corner of the land
  2. 2 far-flung places; all over the country
  3. 3 (of conversation) rambling from one topic to another

Examples

HSK 5
Dàhuì xīyǐn le tiānnánhǎiběi de xuézhě.
The conference drew scholars from all over the country.
HSK 6
Lǎopéngyǒu jiànmiàn, tiānnánhǎiběi de liáo le qǐlái.
The old friends met and started chatting about everything under the sun.

Tips

usage
Two distinct senses: (1) geographically - people or things from widely scattered places; (2) rhetorically - a conversation that wanders across any and every topic. Context makes the sense clear.
memory
天南 (southern sky) + 海北 (northern sea) = from the farthest south to the farthest north. Variant: 天南地北.

Stroke Order

tiān
nán
hǎi
běi