左顾右盼 (zuǒ gù yòu pàn)

Character breakdown

• 左 (Zuǒ) · 5 strokes

  Pictograph of a left hand. The 工 (work) component was added later to represent the meaning "help; assist", now written as 佐.

• 顾 (Gù) · 10 strokes

  Simplified form of 顧. Phonosemantic compound. 頁 represents the meaning and 雇 represents the sound.

• 右 (yòu) · 5 strokes

  Pictograph of a right hand. The 口 (mouth) component was added later to distinguish the character from 又.

• 盼 (pàn) · 9 strokes

  Phonosemantic compound. 目 represents the meaning and 分 represents the sound.

Usage

他站在路口左顾右盼，好像在等人。

glancing to left and right (idiom); to look all around

tā zhàn zài lù kǒu zuǒ gù yòu pàn ， hǎo xiàng zài děng rén 。