📖 Meaning
To turn something over and back repeatedly, doing the same thing over and over again. It describes repetition or going back and forth on a matter, often to the point of being tedious. It can refer to physical flipping as well as repeating words or actions endlessly.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Yuan dynasty playwright Wang Shifu's "Romance of the Western Chamber" (西厢记), in the second scene of the third act. In this passage, a character anxiously examines a letter, turning it over and over without growing tired of it, reflecting the restless excitement and obsessive attention brought on by love. The expression thus originally captured the restless, repetitive handling of an object out of deep emotional preoccupation.
💡 Example Usage
他把这几句话颠来倒去说了好几遍，听得大家都烦了。
He repeated those few sentences over and over until everyone was sick of hearing them.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 颠来倒去
- Pinyin: diān lái dǎo qù
- Literal Translation: turn over, come, pour, go
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4