拆东补西 chāi dōng bǔ xī

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. pull down the east wall to repair the west (idiom); fig. temporary expedient
  2. Rob Peter to pay Paul

CHARACTERS

拆 chāi
HSK 5
to break up, split apart, rip open; to destroy
东 dōng
HSK 1
east, eastern, eastward
补 bǔ
HSK 5
mend, patch, fix, repair, restore
西 xī
HSK 1
west(ern); westward, occident