Idiomatic repetition and limits

问这问那 keep asking about this and that; 挑这挑那 find fault with this and that. The latter tends to imply criticism; these are not neutral substitutes in every context.

Pitfall: The frame often carries a speaker attitude; not every verb fits naturally.

左思右想 think repeatedly/from many angles; 左顾右盼 look around. Literal left-right directions are not necessarily intended in these fixed forms.

Pitfall: Translate the idiomatic activity, not literal left and right thought.

好不容易才找到 and 好容易才找到 can both emphasize effort before success. 很容易就找到了 instead emphasizes ease. The apparent negative pattern requires idiomatic interpretation.

Pitfall: The negative-looking form does not simply mean it was not easy at all without an achieved result.

Pitfall: It need not indicate complete agreement with the entire argument.

Pitfall: The expression can be conciliatory or dismissive depending on tone.

Pitfall: Distinguish this expression from a verb followed by the potential complement 得了.

你一句我一句 has different people contributing turns; 这里一堆那里一堆 describes separate piles across locations. Check the chosen nouns and verbs for a natural distributive reading.

Pitfall: The parallel distribution is the key, not a fixed arithmetic count.

Pitfall: East and west are figurative distribution here, not compass instructions.

Pitfall: The phrase defines a reference boundary; it does not guarantee what happens afterward.