shī

idiom
common

Meaning of 顾此失彼

顾此失彼 means to attend to one thing and neglect another; to be unable to cope with multiple things at once. Pronounced gù cǐ shī bǐ.

  • to attend to one thing and neglect another; to be unable to cope with multiple things at once

Definitions & Examples

yào
gōng
zuò
yòu
yào
zhào
jiā
tíng
 
cháng
cháng
shī
 

He has to work and take care of his family, often neglecting one for the other.

Xiàng
tài
duō
 
yuán
yǒu
xiàn
 
guǎn
zhě
nán
miǎn
shī
 

With too many projects and limited resources, managers inevitably focus on one and neglect another.

Xué
xīn
néng
shí
 
yào
tān
duō
 
fǒu
róng
shī
 

When learning new skills, don't be greedy for too many at once, or you'll likely focus on one and neglect others.