左思右想

zuǒsī-yòuxiǎng

idiom

Meanings

他左思右想，最后还是决定辞职。

Tā zuǒsīyòuxiǎng, zuìhòu háishì juédìng cízhí.

He thought it over from every angle and finally decided to quit.

左思右想也想不出答案。

Zuǒsīyòuxiǎng yě xiǎng bu chū dá'àn.

Think as I might, I couldn't come up with an answer.

history

From Feng Menglong's Ming historical novel 《东周列国志》 chapter 88: 左思右想，欲求自脱之计 — 'he thought it over from every angle, looking for a way out'.

memory

Literal: 'left think, right think'. Picture someone shaking their head slowly side to side while pondering.

左 zuǒ

思 sī

右 yòu

想 xiǎng