七A八B for “All Over the Place”
Learn the 七A八B idioms, such as 七嘴八舌, 七手八脚 and 七上八下, where 七 and 八 mean “many and in a muddle,” not seven and eight.
Pattern
七 + A + 八 + B
七 and 八 together mean “many, from all sides, in a muddle”; each 七A八B phrase is a fixed idiom with its own meaning.
大家七嘴八舌地讨论周末去哪儿玩。
When to use 七A八B for “All Over the Place”
In 七A八B, 七 and 八 are not numbers. Together they mean “lots of them, from every side, not in order.” A and B are usually two related words, such as 嘴 and 舌 (mouth and tongue), 手 and 脚 (hands and feet), or 上 and 下 (up and down).
同学们七手八脚，一会儿就把教室打扫干净了。
With everyone pitching in, the students had the classroom clean in no time.
明天就要公布比赛结果了，我心里七上八下的。
The competition results come out tomorrow, and I’m on edge.
一下课，同学们就七嘴八舌地问老师考试的事。
As soon as class ended, the students all started asking the teacher about the exam at once.
看到奶奶搬不动箱子，邻居们七手八脚地帮她搬上了楼。
Seeing that Grandma couldn’t move the box, the neighbours all pitched in and carried it upstairs for her.
Common traps
- 七 and 八 here are not numbers: 七嘴八舌 doesn’t mean seven mouths and eight tongues.
- These are fixed idioms; don’t make up new ones like 七书八本.
- 七上八下 is about one person’s worried feelings, while 七嘴八舌 and 七手八脚 describe a group.
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