眼观四面,耳听八方 yǎn guān sì miàn , ěr tīng bā fāng

DEFINITIONS

  1. lit. the eyes observe all sides and the ears listen in all directions (idiom)
  2. fig. to be observant and alert

CHARACTERS

眼 yǎn eye; eyelet, hole, opening
观 guān see, observe, view; appearance
四 sì four
面 miàn face; surface; plane; side, dimension
耳 ěr ear; merely, only; handle
听 tīng hear; understand; obey, comply
八 bā eight; all around, all sides
方 fāng a square, rectangle; a region; local