七上八下 qī shàng bā xià all over the place

Explanation

形容心里慌乱不安，忐忑不安。比喻心绪不宁，不知所措。

Describes a feeling of anxiety and restlessness, a feeling of not knowing what to do.

Origin Story

传说很久以前，有一位名叫李白的书生，他从小就天资聪颖，博览群书。一天，他去参加科举考试，由于太过紧张，心里七上八下，无法静下心来。他翻来覆去地背诵着诗歌，却总是记不住。眼看着时间一分一秒地过去，他越来越慌乱。这时，一位老先生走过来，见他愁眉苦脸，就问他怎么了。李白便将自己的苦恼告诉了老先生。老先生听了，笑着说：“年轻人，不要紧张，凡事要沉着冷静，才能发挥出自己的水平。你应该记住，七上八下只会让你更加混乱，只有心平气和才能取得成功。”李白听后，豁然开朗，他深吸一口气，平复了自己的心情，然后开始认真地答卷。最终，李白凭借着扎实的学识和冷静的头脑，取得了优异的成绩，顺利通过了科举考试。

chuán shuō hěn jiǔ yǐ qián, yǒu yī wèi míng jiào lǐ bái de shū shēng, tā cóng xiǎo jiù tiān zī cōng yǐng, bó lǎn qún shū. yī tiān, tā qù cān jiā kē jǔ kǎo shì, yīn wèi tài guò jǐn zhāng, xīn lǐ qī shàng bā xià, wú fǎ jìng xià xīn lái. tā fān lái fù qù de bèi sòng zhe shī gē, què zǒng shì jì bù zhù. yǎn kànzhe shí jiān yī fēn yī miǎo de guò qù, tā yuè lái yuè huāng luàn. zhè shí, yī wèi lǎo xiān shēng zǒu guò lái, jiàn tā chóu méi kǔ liǎn, jiù wèn tā zěn me le. lǐ bái biàn jiāng zì jǐ de kǔ nào gào sù le lǎo xiān shēng. lǎo xiān shēng tīng le, xiào zhe shuō: “nián qīng rén, bù yào jǐn zhāng, fán shì yào chén zhuó lěng jìng, cái néng fā huī chū zì jǐ de shuǐ píng. nǐ yīng gāi jì zhù, qī shàng bā xià zhǐ huì ràng nǐ gèng jiā hùn luàn, zhǐ yǒu xīn píng qì hé cái néng qǔ dé chéng gōng.” lǐ bái tīng hòu, huò rán kāi lǎng, tā shēn xī yī kǒu qì, píng fù le zì jǐ de xīn qíng, rán hòu kāi shǐ rèn zhēn de dá juàn. zhōng jiù, lǐ bái píng jiè zhe zhā shí de xué shí hé lěng jìng de tóu nǎo, qǔ dé le yōu yì de chéng jì, shùn lì tōng guò le kē jǔ kǎo shì.

It is said that a long time ago, there was a scholar named Li Bai, who was very intelligent and well-read from a young age. One day, he went to take the civil service exam, but he was so nervous that he was all over the place and couldn't calm down. He recited poems over and over again, but he couldn't remember them. As time went by, he became more and more anxious. At this moment, an old gentleman came over, saw his gloomy face, and asked him what was wrong. Li Bai told the old gentleman about his troubles. The old gentleman listened and smiled, saying:

Usage

形容内心不安、焦躁的心情，常用于描述考试、比赛、面试等情况。

xíng róng nèi xīn bù ān, jiāo zào de xīn qíng, cháng yòng yú miáo shuǐ kǎo shì, bǐ sài, miàn shì děng qíng kuàng.

Describes a feeling of anxiety and restlessness, often used in situations such as exams, competitions, and interviews.

Examples

• 他考试前七上八下，十分紧张。

  tā kǎo shì qián qī shàng bā xià, shí fēn jǐn zhāng.

  He was very nervous before the exam, he was all over the place.

• 听到这个消息，我的心情七上八下，不知道该怎么办。

  tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, wǒ de xīn qíng qī shàng bā xià, bù zhī dào gāi zěn me bàn.

  When I heard the news, I was so anxious that I didn't know what to do.

• 面对突如其来的任务，她七上八下，不知所措。

  miàn duì tū rú ér lái de rèn wù, tā qī shàng bā xià, bù zhī suǒ cuò.

  She was overwhelmed by the sudden task and didn't know what to do.

Related Idioms

• 忐忑不安

• 心神不定

• 坐立不安

• 心慌意乱

Opposite Idioms

• 心安理得

• 泰然自若

• 镇定自若