In Mandarin translation of Little Red Riding Hood that can be found around (Grimm Stories, BaiDuBaiKe), mother warns Little Red Riding Hood: "外婆家的时候，别忘了说‘早上好’，也不要一进屋就东瞧西瞅。" How would you translate 东瞧西瞅 in this sentence? I have seen translations like "look around" but it does not seem to make much sense in the context.
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3 Answers
The original English text for the excerpt you’ve given above is:
And when you go into her room, don't forget to say, good-morning, and don't peep into every corner before you do it."
So here “peep into every corner” was translated 东瞧西䐐. It’s a fairly true translation.
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Thank you @user3306356, you are right. Even though Grimm Stories does not have that version, other sources (e.g. Wikisource) do. In this, a bit archaic, context "peep into every corner" has a negative connotation, as in being rude. Does 东瞧西䐐 have that feel to?– celaenoCommented Feb 21, 2020 at 12:27
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@celaeno Absolutely. A more common phrase would be 东张西望 or you could even just say something like 东看西看, but it's always negative in connotation.– Mou某 ♦Commented Feb 21, 2020 at 13:34
this structure 东V西V could means:
1 do sth repeatedly and blindly
2 do sth repeatedly and leisurely
3 do sth repeatedly and curiously
4 do sth repeatedly
In your sentence, it means "keeps looking around curiously".
Similarly:
东跑西颠, 东倚西靠 keeps XX leisurely
东躲西藏, 东拉西扯: keeps xx blindly
东奔西跑 just means "run around here and there", doesn't imply more information.
东瞧西瞅 literally means look the east and the west. If we extend its literal meaning, it would be look here and there or look around.
