顧此失彼 gù cǐ shī bǐ

focus on this and miss that; can't juggle tasks

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency Unknown

Definitions

  1. 1. lit. to attend to one thing and lose sight of another (idiom)
  2. 2. fig. to be unable to manage two or more things at once
  3. 3. cannot pay attention to one thing without neglecting the other

Characters

Character Meaning
顧 gù
to look after; to attend to; to take into consideration
此 cǐ HSK 4
this; these
失 shī HSK 4
to lose; to miss; to fail
彼 bǐ HSK 5
that; those; (one) another