📖 Meaning
Literally meaning 'move from the east to accommodate the west,' this idiom describes shifting things around to make do temporarily. It metaphorically refers to patching things up by borrowing from one place to cover another, without addressing underlying problems or planning for the long term.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from a memorial written by the Tang dynasty official Lu Zhi (陆贽) titled 'On Pei Yanling's Treacherous Corruption.' Lu Zhi criticized Pei Yanling, a finance minister under Emperor Dezong, for manipulating accounts by shifting funds between categories to fabricate surplus revenue. By 'moving from the east to settle the west' and 'taking from here to fill there,' Pei made it appear as though the treasury had excess funds, when in reality he was merely shuffling money around to deceive the court.
💡 Example Usage
这家公司总是移东就西地挪用资金，迟早要出大问题。
The company keeps shifting funds from one account to another to make ends meet—sooner or later this will lead to serious trouble.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 移东就西
- Pinyin: yí dōng jiù xī
- Literal Translation: move, east, accommodate, west
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4