东张西望 look around
Explanation
形容这里那里地到处看。
Describes someone who is looking everywhere.
Origin Story
话说从前，有一个贪心的财主，他家财万贯，却整天提心吊胆，害怕别人偷走他的钱财。每天晚上，他都要在家里东张西望，生怕有人潜入。他甚至在院子里埋设了陷阱，还养了一条凶猛的狗看家护院。即使如此，他还是不放心，总是睡不安稳。有一天晚上，他实在太累了，竟然睡着了。这时，一个狡猾的小偷溜进了他的院子，他轻手轻脚地来到财主的卧室门口，正准备翻窗而入，却突然被财主养的那条狗发现了。那条狗猛地冲上去，对着小偷狂吠不止。财主被狗叫声惊醒，他急忙跳下床，东张西望，发现小偷正在逃窜。他拿起棍棒就追了上去，直到把小偷赶出了院子。从那以后，财主虽然还是害怕丢钱，但也不再像以前那样东张西望了，他知道，过分的担心和警惕，反而会适得其反。
Once upon a time, there was a greedy landlord whose house was full of treasures but he was always worried about someone stealing his wealth. Every night, he would look around his house, fearing someone would break in. He even set traps in his yard and kept a fierce dog to guard his house. Even so, he was still not at ease and could not sleep well. One night, he was so tired that he fell asleep. At this moment, a cunning thief sneaked into his yard. He quietly came to the door of the landlord’s bedroom and was about to climb in through the window when he was suddenly discovered by the landlord’s dog. The dog rushed forward and barked at the thief. The landlord was awakened by the barking, and he quickly jumped out of bed, looking around anxiously. He found the thief running away. He picked up a stick and chased him away. From then on, although the landlord was still afraid of losing money, he no longer looked around anxiously like before. He knew that excessive worry and vigilance could be counterproductive.
Usage
作谓语、宾语、状语；多用于描写人物的神态
Used as predicate, object, or adverbial; often used to describe a person's demeanor.
Examples
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他东张西望地寻找着丢失的钱包。
ta dongzhangxiwang di xunzhao zhe diushi de qianbao
He looked around anxiously for his lost wallet.
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考试时，他东张西望，试图作弊。
kaoshi shi, ta dongzhangxiwang, shi tu zuo bi
During the exam, he looked around, trying to cheat.