六神不安 liù shén bù ān six gods uneasy

Explanation

六神不安是指人内心焦虑不安，惊慌失措，不知所措的状态。道家认为人体内有心、肺、肝、肾、脾、胆六脏，各有神灵主宰，故称六神。六神不安体现了人面对困境或压力时内心的慌乱与无助。

Liù shén bù ān describes a state of anxiety, panic, and helplessness. In Taoism, it is believed that the human body has six internal organs: the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen, and gall bladder, each controlled by a deity; hence, the term six gods. Liù shén bù ān reflects the inner turmoil and helplessness one experiences when confronted with difficulties or pressure.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，有一个名叫李白的书生，他勤奋好学，立志考取功名。十年寒窗苦读，终于迎来了科举考试。然而，就在考试的前一天晚上，李白却六神不安，辗转反侧难以入眠。他担心自己多年的努力付诸东流，也担心考试的题目过于刁钻，自己无法应对。他心中充满了焦虑和恐惧，翻来覆去地想着各种可能性，越想越觉得不安。他努力平复自己的心情，但焦虑的情绪却像潮水般涌来，让他喘不过气来。他起身走到窗前，望着窗外黑夜里闪烁的星光，试图寻找一丝平静，然而，内心的不安却始终挥之不去。第二天，李白顶着巨大的心理压力走进考场，虽然他努力发挥，但最终还是因为紧张过度，发挥失常，落榜而归。这次考试的失败，对李白来说是一个沉重的打击，但也让他深刻地认识到，即使准备再充分，心态也至关重要。此后，李白更加注重心理调适，最终以优异的成绩考取功名，实现了他的理想。

huà shuō táng cháo shí qī, yǒu yīgè míng jiào lǐ bái de shū shēng, tā qín fèn hǎo xué, lì zhì kǎo qǔ gōng míng。shí nián hán chuāng kǔ dú, zhōng yú yíng lái le kē jǔ kǎo shì。rán ér, jiù zài kǎo shì de qián yī tiān wǎn shàng, lǐ bái què liù shén bù ān, zhǎn zhuǎn fǎn cè nán yǐ rù mián。tā dānxīn zìjǐ duō nián de nǔ lì fù zhū dōng liú, yě dānxīn kǎo shì de tímù guò yú diāo zuān, zìjǐ wú fǎ yìng duì。tā xīn zhōng chōng mǎn le jiāo lǜ hé kǒng jù, fān lái fù qù de xiǎng zhe gè zhǒng kě néng xìng, yuè xiǎng yuè juéde bù ān。tā nǔ lì píng fù zìjǐ de xīn qíng, dàn jiāo lǜ de qíng xù què xiàng cháo shuǐ bān yǒng lái, ràng tā chuǎn bù guò qì lái。tā qǐ shēn zǒu dào chuāng qián, wàng zhe chuāng wài hēi yè lǐ shǎn shuò de xīng guāng, shì tú xún zhǎo yīsī píng jìng, rán ér, nèi xīn de bù ān què shǐ zhōng huī zhī bù qù。dì èr tiān, lǐ bái dǐng zhe jù dà de xīn lǐ yā lì zǒu jìn kǎo chǎng, suīrán tā nǔ lì fā huī, dàn zuì zhōng hái shì yīn wèi jǐn zhāng guò dù, fā huī shī cháng, luò bǎng ér guī。zhè cì kǎo shì de shībài, duì lǐ bái lái shuō shì yīgè chén zhòng de dǎ jī, dàn yě ràng tā shēn kè de rèn shí dào, jí shǐ zhǔnbèi zài chōng fèn, xīn tài yě zhì guān zhòng yào。cǐ hòu, lǐ bái gèng jiā zhù zhòng xīn lǐ tiáo shì, zuì zhōng yǐ yōu yì de chéng jì kǎo qǔ gōng míng, shí xiàn le tā de lǐ xiǎng。

During the Tang Dynasty, there lived a scholar named Li Bai, who was diligent and determined to pass the imperial examinations. After ten years of hard study, he finally reached the examination. However, on the night before the exam, Li Bai became very uneasy and tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. He worried that years of effort would be in vain, and also that the exam questions would be too difficult to handle. His heart was filled with anxiety and fear, turning over and over various possibilities, and feeling more uneasy with each thought. He tried to calm himself down, but anxious feelings surged like a tide, suffocating him. He got up and went to the window, gazing at the twinkling stars in the dark night, trying to find a moment of peace. However, the uneasiness inside persisted. The next day, Li Bai walked into the examination hall under immense psychological pressure. Though he tried his best, he eventually performed poorly due to excessive tension, and failed the exam. This failure was a heavy blow to Li Bai, but it also made him realize the critical importance of mental attitude even with adequate preparation. From then on, Li Bai placed more emphasis on psychological adjustment, eventually passing the exam with excellent results and achieving his aspirations.

Usage

形容人内心焦虑不安，惊慌失措，不知所措的状态。常用于口语中，表达人物的心理活动。

xióngróng rén nèixīn jiāolǜ bù ān, jīnghuāng shī cuò, bù zhī suǒ cuò de zhuàngtài。cháng yòng yú kǒuyǔ zhōng, biǎodá rénwù de xīnlǐ huódòng。

To describe a state of inner anxiety, panic, and helplessness. Often used in spoken language to express a character's mental activity.

Examples

• 他考试前六神不安，什么也看不进去。

  tā kǎoshì qián liù shén bù ān, shénme yě kàn bù jìn qù。

  He was very uneasy before the exam and couldn't read anything.

• 听到这个噩耗，她六神不安，整夜睡不着觉。

  tīng dào zhège è hào, tā liù shén bù ān, zhěng yè shuì bu zháo jiào。

  She was very uneasy when she heard the bad news and couldn't sleep all night.

• 面对突如其来的变故，他六神不安，不知所措。

  miàn duì tū rú ér lái de biàngù, tā liù shén bù ān, bù zhī suǒ cuò。

  In the face of sudden changes, he was very uneasy and didn't know what to do.

Related Idioms

• 忐忑不安

• 心神不宁

Opposite Idioms

• 泰然自若

• 镇定自若