HSK 6 grammar · pattern
左A右B
左A右B — over and over, every which way
Pattern
+ + +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
左A右B inserts two verbs (often the same) after 左 and 右 to mean doing something repeatedly and from every angle — 左思右想 (think it over and over), 左看右看 (look this way and that).
Examples
他左思右想，还是决定不了。
Tā zuǒ sī yòu xiǎng, háishi juédìng bù liǎo.
He thought it over and over but still couldn't decide.
我左等右等，他也没来。
Wǒ zuǒ děng yòu děng, tā yě méi lái.
I waited and waited, but he never came.
她左看右看，终于挑好了衣服。
Tā zuǒ kàn yòu kàn, zhōngyú tiāo hǎo le yīfu.
She looked this way and that and finally picked out clothes.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 左A右B is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.