五内如焚 Wǔ nèi rú fén five viscera like burning

Explanation

形容内心焦急、忧虑的状态，如同五脏六腑都被烧着了一样。比喻内心极其焦急痛苦。

Describes a state of inner anxiety and worry, as if the five viscera were on fire. A metaphor for extreme inner anxiety and pain.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，一位名叫李白的诗人，正为即将到来的科举考试而焦虑万分。他夜不能寐，翻来覆去，难以平静。他担心自己苦读多年，却依然无法胜任这次考试。他害怕自己多年的努力付诸东流，辜负了父母的期望。他想象着考试失败后的场景，内心五内如焚，仿佛五脏六腑都被烈火灼烧一般。他努力想要平静下来，却怎么也无法控制住自己激动的情绪，如同热锅上的蚂蚁一般。他不停地走来走去，在房间里踱步，内心无比煎熬。他甚至开始怀疑自己多年的学习是否真的有效，是否真的能够取得成功。最终，他决定将自己的焦虑倾诉于诗歌，用文字来排解心中的不安。他提笔写下了一首诗，表达了对考试的焦虑和对未来的担忧。诗歌完成后，他的内心才稍微平静了一些，焦虑的情绪也得到了缓解。

huà shuō Táng cháo shíqī，yī wèi míng jiào Lǐ Bái de shīrén，zhèng wèi jí jiāng dàolái de kējǔ kǎoshì ér jiāolǜ wànfēn。tā yè bù néng mèi，fān lái fù qù，nán yǐ píngjìng。tā dānxīn zìjǐ kǔ dú duō nián，què yīrán wúfǎ shèngrèn cì cì kǎoshí。tā hàipà zìjǐ duō nián de nǔlì fù zhū dōngliú，gūfù le fùmǔ de qiwàng。tā xiǎngxiàngzhe kǎoshì shībài hòu de chǎngjǐng，nèixīn wǔ nèi rú fén，fǎngfú wǔ zàng liùfǔ dōu bèi lièhuǒ zhuōshāo yībān。tā nǔlì xiǎng yào píngjìng xiàlái，què zěnme yě wúfǎ kòngzhì zhù zìjǐ jīdòng de qíngxù，rútóng rè guō shàng de mà yī yībān。tā bùtíng de zǒu lái zǒu qù，zài fángjiān lǐ duóbù，nèixīn wúbǐ jiān'áo。tā shènzhì kāishǐ huáiyí zìjǐ duō nián de xuéxí shìfǒu zhēn de yǒuxiào，shìfǒu zhēn de nénggòu qǔdé chénggōng。zuìzhōng，tā juédìng jiāng zìjǐ de jiāolǜ qīngsù yú shīgē，yòng wénzì lái páijiě xīnzhōng de bù'ān。tā tíbǐ xiě xià le yī shǒu shī，biǎodá le duì kǎoshì de jiāolǜ hé duì wèilái de dānyōu。shīgē wánchéng hòu，tā de nèixīn cái shāowēi píngjìng le yīxiē，jiāolǜ de qíngxù yě dédào le huǎnjiě。

In the Tang Dynasty, there was a poet named Li Bai who was extremely anxious about the upcoming imperial examination. He couldn't sleep at night, tossing and turning, unable to calm down. He worried that despite years of hard study, he still wouldn't be able to pass the exam. He feared that his years of hard work would be wasted and that he would let his parents down. He imagined the scene after failing the exam, and his heart was consumed with anxiety, as if his five viscera were being burned by fire. He tried to calm down, but he couldn't control his agitated emotions, like an ant on a hot pot. He paced back and forth, unable to bear the torment in his heart. He even began to doubt whether his years of study had been effective and whether he could really succeed. Finally, he decided to pour out his anxiety into poetry, using words to relieve his inner unease. He picked up his pen and wrote a poem expressing his anxiety about the exam and his worries about the future. After finishing the poem, his heart was slightly calmer, and his anxiety was somewhat relieved.

Usage

用于形容内心焦急、忧虑的状态。

yòng yú xiáoróng nèixīn jiāojí，yōulǜ de zhuàngtài。

Used to describe a state of inner anxiety and worry.

Examples

• 听到这个噩耗，他五内如焚，整夜难以入眠。

  tīng dào zhège èghào，tā wǔ nèi rú fén，zhěng yè nán yǐ rùmián。

  Upon hearing the terrible news, he was consumed with anxiety and couldn't sleep all night.

• 考试失败的消息传来，他五内如焚，悔恨不已。

  kǎoshì shībài de xiāoxī chuánlái，tā wǔ nèi rú fén，huǐhèn bù yǐ。

  The news of his exam failure hit him hard, and he was filled with regret and despair.

Related Idioms

• 心急如焚

• 坐立不安

Opposite Idioms

• 欣喜若狂

• 心花怒放