左右

Chinese

		left	right (-hand)
simp. and trad. (左右)		左	右

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zuǒyòu

  (Zhuyin): ㄗㄨㄛˇ ㄧㄡˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zo² jau^6-2
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): chó-yu
• Eastern Min (BUC): cō̤-iêu
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): chó͘-iū / chó-iū

  (Teochew, Peng'im): zo² iu⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zuǒyòu → zuǒyou (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Zhuyin: ㄗㄨㄛˇ ㄧㄡˋ → ㄗㄨㄛˇ ˙ㄧㄡ (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Tongyong Pinyin: zuǒyo̊u
    • Wade–Giles: tso³-yu⁵
    • Yale: dzwǒ-you
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzuoo.yow
    • Palladius: цзою (czoju)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡su̯ɔ²¹⁴⁻²¹ joʊ̯⁵¹/ → /t͡su̯ɔ²¹⁴ joʊ̯⁴/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zo² jau^6-2
    • Yale: jó yáu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzo² jau^6-2
    • Guangdong Romanization: zo² yeo^6-2
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɔː³⁵ jɐu̯²²⁻³⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chó-yu
    • Hakka Romanization System: zo` iu
    • Hagfa Pinyim: zo<sup>3</sup> yiu<sup>4</sup>
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡so³¹ i̯u⁵⁵/
  • (Southern Sixian, incl. Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chó-yu
    • Hakka Romanization System: zo` (r)iu
    • Hagfa Pinyim: zo³ yiu⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡so³¹ (j)i̯u⁵⁵/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: cō̤-iêu
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡so³³⁻⁵⁵ iɛu²⁴²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chó͘-iū
    • Tâi-lô: tsóo-iū
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zofiu
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sɔ⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ iu⁴¹/
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chó-iū
    • Tâi-lô: tsó-iū
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zoyiu
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡so⁵³⁻⁴⁴ iu³³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sɤ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ iu³³/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /t͡so⁵³⁻⁴⁴ iu²²/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: zo² iu⁶
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tsó iŭ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡so⁵²⁻³⁵ iu³⁵/

Noun

(deprecated template usage) 左右

1. left and right
2. left and right sides; both sides

   • 參差荇菜，左右流之 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     参差荇菜，左右流之 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Cēncī xìngcài, zuǒyòu liú zhī [Pinyin]

     Here long, there short, is the duckweed, To the left, to the right, borne about by the current.

3. entourage; retinue; attendants

Adverb

(deprecated template usage) 左右

1. about; or so; or thereabouts

   他身高可能在三米左右。 [MSC, trad. and simp.]

   Tā shēngāo kěnéng zài sān mǐ zuǒyòu. [Pinyin]

   He was about three meters tall.

   30分鐘左右 [Cantonese, trad.]
   30分钟左右 [Cantonese, simp.]

   saam¹ sap⁶ fan¹ zung¹ zo² jau^6-2 [Jyutping]

   about 30 minutes

Synonyms

• 大抵 (dàdǐ)
• 大概 (dàgài)
• 大約／大约 (dàyuē)
• 大致 (dàzhì)
• 光景 (guāngjǐng)
• 約略／约略 (yuēlüè)
• 約摸／约摸 (yuēmo)

Verb

左右

1. to control; to manipulate; to influence

Synonyms

(deprecated template usage)

• 主宰 (zhǔzǎi)
• 主張／主张 (zhǔzhāng) (archaic)
• 克制 (kèzhì)
• 克治 (kèzhì) (literary)
• 制禦／制御 (zhìyù) (literary)
• 制約／制约 (zhìyuē)
• 君 (jūn) (literary)
• 執掌／执掌 (zhízhǎng)
• 壓制／压制 (yāzhì)
• 局 (Zhangzhou Hokkien)
• 局限 (júxiàn)
• 把
• 抑制 (yìzhì)
• 把持 (bǎchí)
• 把控 (bǎkòng)
• 把攬／把揽 (bǎlǎn)
• 抵制 (dǐzhì)
• 拘束 (jūshù)
• 按 (àn)
• 按捺 (ànnà) (usually in the negative)
• 控 (literary, or in compounds)
• 控制 (kòngzhì)
• 掌控 (zhǎngkòng)
• 掌握 (zhǎngwò)
• 提控 (tíkòng) (literary)
• 撥弄／拨弄 (bōnòng)
• 撙節／撙节 (zǔnjié)
• 操控 (cāokòng)
• 操縱／操纵 (cāozòng)
• 擺佈／摆布 (bǎibù)
• 擺治／摆治 (bǎizhì) (regional)
• 支配 (zhīpèi)
• 收斂／收敛 (shōuliǎn)
• 束 (literary, or in compounds)
• 束縛／束缚 (shùfù)
• 柄 (literary, or in compounds)
• 框 (kuàng)
• 禁錮／禁锢 (jìngù) (figurative)
• 積壓／积压 (jīyā) (figurative)
• 節制／节制 (jiézhì)
• 節撙／节撙 (Quanzhou Hokkien, Xiamen Hokkien)
• 管制 (guǎnzhì)
• 管束 (guǎnshù)
• 約束／约束 (yuēshù)
• 統御／统御 (tǒngyù) (literary)
• 統治／统治 (tǒngzhì)
• 羈束／羁束 (jīshù) (literary)
• 裁 (cái) (literary, or in compounds)
• 遏抑 (èyì) (literary)
• 鎮／镇 (zhèn)
• 限 (xiàn)
• 限乏 (Xiamen Hokkien)
• 限制 (xiànzhì)
• 駕／驾 (jià)
• 駕馭／驾驭 (jiàyù) (figurative)

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (左右):

• → Japanese: 左右(さゆう) (sayū)
• → Korean: 좌우(左右) (jwau)

(deprecated template usage)

---

Japanese

Kanji in this term
左	右
さ Grade: 1	ゆう Grade: 1
on’yomi

Etymology 1

From 左 (sa, “left”) +‎ 右 (yū, “right”).

Noun

左(さ)右(ゆう) • (sayū) 

1. left and right

   横(おう)断(だん)歩(ほ)道(どう)を渡(わた)る前(まえ)には、左(さ)右(ゆう)を確(かく)認(にん)する。

   Ōdanhodō o wataru mae ni wa, sayū o kakunin suru.

   Check left and right before you cross the crosswalk.

2. both sides
3. control
4. influence

Synonyms

• (right and left): 右(みぎ)左(ひだり) (migihidari)
• (control): 支(し)配(はい) (shihai)
• (influence): 影(えい)響(きょう) (eikyō)

Derived terms

• 上下左右
• 前後左右
• 左右一対
• 左右軸
• 左右相称
• 左右対称

Verb

左(さ)右(ゆう)する • (sayū suru) suru (stem 左(さ)右(ゆう)し (sayū shi), past 左(さ)右(ゆう)した (sayū shita))

1. to sway, to influence
2. to have under one's control

Conjugation

Conjugation of "左右する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	左右し	さゆうし	sayū shi
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	左右し	さゆうし	sayū shi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	左右する	さゆうする	sayū suru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	左右する	さゆうする	sayū suru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	左右すれ	さゆうすれ	sayū sure
Meireikei ("imperative")	左右せよ¹ 左右しろ²	さゆうせよ¹ さゆうしろ²	sayū seyo¹ sayū shiro²
Key constructions
Passive	左右される	さゆうされる	sayū sareru
Causative	左右させる 左右さす	さゆうさせる さゆうさす	sayū saseru sayū sasu
Potential	左右できる	さゆうできる	sayū dekiru
Volitional	左右しよう	さゆうしよう	sayū shiyō
Negative	左右しない	さゆうしない	sayū shinai
Negative continuative	左右せず	さゆうせず	sayū sezu
Formal	左右します	さゆうします	sayū shimasu
Perfective	左右した	さゆうした	sayū shita
Conjunctive	左右して	さゆうして	sayū shite
Hypothetical conditional	左右すれば	さゆうすれば	sayū sureba
¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative

Etymology 2

Noun

左右(そう) • (sō) ^{←さう (sau)?}

1. (obsolete) left and right

Etymology 3

Noun

左右(さう) • (sau) 

1. (obsolete) left and right

---

Korean

Hanja in this term
左	右

Noun

左右 • (jwau) (hangeul 좌우)

1. Hanja form^? of 좌우 (“left and right”).

---

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
左	右

Noun

左右

1. Template:han tu form of