作贼心虚 guilty conscience
Explanation
指做坏事怕人知道，心神不安。
To describe someone who has done something bad and is afraid of being discovered, therefore restless.
Origin Story
从前，在一个偏僻的小村庄里，住着一个名叫阿福的年轻人。阿福为人狡猾，经常偷偷摸摸地做一些见不得人的勾当，比如偷鸡摸狗，或者欺骗村民。村里人都知道阿福不是个好人，但苦于没有确凿的证据，只能睁一只眼闭一只眼。 有一天，阿福又起了坏心思，他打算去村东头的老王家偷一些粮食。老王家世代务农，家里的粮食是他们一年的收成，对他们来说非常重要。阿福知道老王一家晚上通常很早就睡了，于是他选择在深夜行动。他蹑手蹑脚地翻墙而入，四处寻找着粮食的储藏地。 然而，他越找越紧张，心里怦怦直跳。即使他小心谨慎，生怕发出一点声音，但还是无法摆脱那种不安的感觉。他感觉好像村里人都看着他，老王的影子无处不在，仿佛他的一举一动都在老王的眼皮底下。 最后，他终于找到了粮食，却发现自己根本拿不动，因为他太紧张了，双手都在颤抖。他好不容易才把粮食装进袋子里，却又发现自己连门都出不去，因为他的手脚都僵硬了。 最终，阿福空手而归，他整夜都在害怕被抓，根本睡不着觉。第二天，他看到老王一家依然平静如常，心里更加忐忑不安。他知道，自己作贼心虚，这种恐惧会一直伴随着他。
Once upon a time, in a remote village, lived a young man named A Fu. A Fu was cunning and often secretly engaged in shady dealings, such as stealing chickens and dogs or deceiving villagers. The villagers knew that A Fu was not a good person, but lacking concrete evidence, they turned a blind eye. One day, A Fu had another bad idea. He planned to steal some grain from Old Wang's house at the east end of the village. The Wang family had been farmers for generations, and the grain at home was their yearly harvest, extremely important to them. A Fu knew that the Wang family usually went to bed early at night, so he chose to act in the dead of night. He stealthily climbed over the wall and searched for the grain storage. However, the more he searched, the more nervous he became, his heart pounding. Even though he was careful and quiet, he couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling. He felt like everyone in the village was watching him, Old Wang's shadow was everywhere, as if his every move was under Old Wang's watchful eyes. Finally, he found the grain, but he found he couldn't carry it at all, because he was too nervous, his hands trembling. He finally managed to pack the grain into a bag, but then he found he couldn't even get out of the door because his hands and feet were stiff. In the end, A Fu returned empty-handed. He was afraid of being caught all night and couldn't sleep at all. The next day, he saw that the Wang family was still as calm as ever, and his heart was even more uneasy. He knew that he had a guilty conscience, and this fear would accompany him forever.
Usage
作谓语、定语、状语；指心神不安
As predicate, attributive or adverbial; indicates inner restlessness and anxiety.
Examples
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他做错了事，现在总是躲躲闪闪，一看就是作贼心虚。
ta zuòcuòle shì, xiànzài zǒngshì dǒudǒushǎnshǎn, yīkàn jiùshì zuòzéixīnxū.
He did something wrong and is now always hiding; he clearly has a guilty conscience.
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他神情慌张，眼神躲闪，一看就知道是作贼心虚。
ta shénqíng huāngzhāng, yǎnshēn duǒshǎn, yīkàn jiù zhīdào shì zuòzéixīnxū.
He is nervous, avoids eye contact, and you can tell he has a guilty conscience.