dung1 ban1 sai1 paau2東奔西跑东奔西跑
Jyutpingdung1 ban1 sai1 paau2
Yaledūng bān sāi páau
Definition
To run around; to bustle about or travel to many places on business.
colloquialdaily actionswork
How it's used
This idiom carries a sense of physical exhaustion and busyness, often implying that the effort is necessary but draining. While it describes movement, it is specifically used for tasks that require visiting multiple locations or dealing with various people to achieve a goal. It is more descriptive and slightly more formal than the common spoken phrase 周圍走.
Examples
He has been running around looking for a job lately, it is very tiring.
Related words
Common phrases
bustling about to make a living
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for simply traveling or exercising, but it specifically implies being busy with errands, chores, or work. Using it to describe leisure travel or casual walking sounds unnatural.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
