📖 Meaning
Describes the wretched and chaotic manner of fleeing in defeat, scattering in all directions like a routed army. It vividly portrays troops or people tumbling and scrambling away in panic.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase appears in the Chinese folktale collection 《中国民间故事选·铁金刚》. In the story, a hero named Iron Diamond (铁金刚) leads resistance fighters against oppressive government troops. When the rebels launch their attack, they beat the soldiers so badly that the troops flee in a disorganized, wretched scramble. The idiom captures this image of a defeated force rolling and crawling away in disorder.
💡 Example Usage
起义军杀进城里，打得官兵东滚西爬，各自逃命。
The rebel army stormed into the city, beating the government troops so badly that they rolled and crawled away, each fleeing for his own life.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 东滚西爬
- Pinyin: dōng gǔn xī pá
- Literal Translation: East, roll, West, crawl
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4