东倒西歪 dōng dǎo xī wāi stagger, wobble

Explanation

形容行走不稳，身不由主。也形容物体倾斜不正。

Describes an unstable movement, without control of one's own body. Also describes an object that is tilted or not straight.

Origin Story

从前，有个村庄住着一位老酒鬼，他每天都喝得酩酊大醉，醉得东倒西歪，走路都跌跌撞撞。有一天，老酒鬼喝得烂醉，他从酒馆里出来，摇摇晃晃地往家走，走到半路就跌倒在路边，昏昏沉沉地睡着了。这时，一位路过的书生看见了他，便上前扶他，想把他送回家。老酒鬼迷迷糊糊地醒来，却以为是妖怪要抓他，便拼命挣扎着，书生被他推得东倒西歪，最后不得不放弃，独自离开了。老酒鬼最终是在路边睡了一夜，第二天醒来才发现自己躺在了家门口。从那以后，老酒鬼戒了酒，再也不敢喝得东倒西歪了。

cóng qián, yǒu ge cūn zhuāng zhù zhe yī wèi lǎo jiǔ guǐ, tā měi tiān dōu hē de míng dǐng dà zuì, zuì de dōng dǎo xī wāi, zǒu lù dōu diē diē zhuàng zhuàng. yǒu yī tiān, lǎo jiǔ guǐ hē de làn zuì, tā cóng jiǔ guǎn lǐ chū lái, yáo yáo huàng huàng de wǎng jiā zǒu, zǒu dào bàn lù jiù diē dǎo zài lù biān, hūn hūn chén chén de shuì zháo le. zhè shí, yī wèi lù guò de shū shēng kàn jiàn le tā, biàn shàng qián fú tā, xiǎng bǎ tā sòng huí jiā. lǎo jiǔ guǐ mí mí hū hū de xǐng lái, què yǐ wéi shì yào guài yào zhuā tā, biàn pīn mìng zhēng zhā zhe, shū shēng bèi tā tuī de dōng dǎo xī wāi, zuì hòu bù de bù fàng qì, dú zì lí kāi le. lǎo jiǔ guǐ zuì zhōng shì zài lù biān shuì le yī yè, dì èr tiān xǐng lái cái fā xiàn zì jǐ tǎng zài jiā mén kǒu. cóng nà yǐ hòu, lǎo jiǔ guǐ jiè le jiǔ, zài yě bù gǎn hē de dōng dǎo xī wāi le.

Once upon a time, there was an old drunkard who lived in a village. He drank every day until he was drunk and staggered around. One day, the old drunkard drank so much that he stumbled out of the tavern. He staggered home and fell by the roadside, falling into a deep sleep. At this time, a passing scholar saw him and went forward to help him, wanting to send him home. The old drunkard woke up in a daze, but thought that it was a monster trying to grab him, so he struggled desperately. The scholar was pushed around by him, so that he finally had to give up and leave alone. The old drunkard eventually slept the whole night on the roadside, and the next day he woke up and found himself lying at his doorstep. From that day on, the old drunkard gave up drinking and never dared to stagger around drunk again.

Usage

这个成语用来形容人走路不稳，或物体倾斜不正。

zhè ge chéng yǔ yòng lái xíng róng rén zǒu lù bù wěn, huò wù tǐ qīng xié bù zhèng.

This idiom is used to describe someone who is walking unsteadily, or an object that is tilted or not straight.

Examples

• 他喝醉了，走路东倒西歪。

  tā hē zuì le, zǒu lù dōng dǎo xī wāi.

  He was drunk and staggering.

• 桌上的书东倒西歪，乱七八糟。

  zhuō shàng de shū dōng dǎo xī wāi, luàn qī bā zāo.

  The books on the table were scattered and in disarray.

• 房间里东倒西歪地堆满了杂物。

  fáng jiān lǐ dōng dǎo xī wāi de duī mǎn le zá wù.

  The room was full of cluttered and scattered items.

Related Idioms

• 摇摇晃晃

• 歪歪斜斜

• 七零八落

Opposite Idioms

• 井井有条

• 整齐有序

• 一丝不苟