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

地上横七竖八地摆着许多箱子。

Dìshàng héngqīshùbā de bǎi zhe xǔduō xiāngzi.

Many boxes lay scattered all over the floor.

孩子们横七竖八地躺在地上。

Háizi men héngqīshùbā 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