横七竖八

橫七豎八

héngqīshùbā

idiom HSK 7

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。

Dì shàng héngqīshùbā de bǎizhe xǔduō xiāngzi.

Many boxes lay scattered all over the floor.

孩子们横七竖八地躺在地上。

Háizimen héngqīshùbā de tǎng zài dì shàng.

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