七拼八凑

yī gè qī pīn bā còu de lián méng

一个七拼八凑的联盟

a rigged alliance

yòng suì bù qī pīn bā còu zuò zhěn tào

用碎布七拼八凑做枕套

make a pillowcase from odd pieces of cloth

tā zhǐ hǎo yòng suì bù qī pīn bā còu de wéi tā de xiǎo hái zuò le jiàn yī fu

她只好用碎布七拼八凑地为她的小孩做了件衣服。

She could only piece together odds and ends of cloth to make a dress for her child.

qī pīn bā còu gǎo lái yī diǎn qián

七拼八凑搞来一点钱

scrape together a little sum

wǒ jiù kào zhe zhè diǎn qián qī pīn bā còu guò le jī hū yī nián

我就靠着这点钱，七拼八凑过了几乎一年。

I lived near a year upon little money.

tā men qī pīn bā còu de duì wu shì bù kān yī jī de

他们七拼八凑的队伍是不堪一击的。

The team they rigged up will collapse at the first blow.