東...西... describes scattered actions.
Here and there
Fixed pattern
See examples below for varied real-world usage.
Scattered actions
- ✅ 東奔西跑。
- ❌ 東跑西跑。（可，但少固定）
Fixed pattern
- ✅ 東張西望。
- ❌ 東望西張。
Things are piled here and there, so the room is messy.
Files are scattered in different places, making them hard to find.
He bought groceries piece by piece of different kinds.
On the table there are magazines scattered in small amounts.
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