顾此失彼 gù cǐ shī bǐ

focus on one thing, neglect another

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency 68567th word

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
顾 gù HSK 3
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