忐忑不安 tǎntè bù'ān uneasy and anxious

Explanation

形容心里不安，七上八下的感觉。

Describes a feeling of unease and anxiety.

Origin Story

话说很久以前，在一个偏僻的小山村里，住着一位名叫小莲的姑娘。小莲心地善良，勤劳俭朴，深受乡亲们的喜爱。一天，小莲的父母要外出做生意，临行前，他们把家中所有的积蓄都交给了小莲保管，并叮嘱她一定要保管好。小莲接过沉甸甸的钱袋，心里忐忑不安，她从来没有独自保管过这么多钱，生怕自己不小心弄丢了，或者被人偷走了。她反复叮嘱自己一定要细心，一定要小心。她把钱袋藏在了床底下，又用木板盖了起来，生怕别人发现。接下来的几天，小莲每天都提心吊胆，寝食难安，她总是担心钱袋会不翼而飞，总是忍不住偷偷地去检查。她一会儿看看床底下，一会儿又看看窗户，生怕有小偷潜入。她连做梦都在梦到钱袋被偷走了，惊醒后一身冷汗。直到父母回来，小莲才终于松了一口气，长舒一口气。父母看到女儿如此憔悴的模样，心疼不已，抚慰她一番，小莲这才从忐忑不安的情绪中缓过神来。

huà shuō hěn jiǔ yǐqián, zài yīgè piānpì de xiǎoshān cūn lǐ, zhù zhe yī wèi míng jiào xiǎolián de gūniang. xiǎolián xīn dì shànliáng, qínláo jiǎnpǔ, shēn shòu xiāng qīn men de xǐ'ài. yī tiān, xiǎolián de fùmǔ yào wàichū zuò shēngyi, lín xíng qián, tāmen bǎ jiā zhōng suǒyǒu de jī xù dōu jiāo gěi le xiǎolián bǎoguǎn, bìng dīngzhǔ tā yīdìng yào bǎoguǎn hǎo. xiǎolián jiēguò chéndiàndiàn de qiándài, xīn lǐ tǎntè bù'ān, tā cónglái méiyǒu dúzì bǎoguǎn guò zhème duō qián, shēng pà zìjǐ bù xiǎoxīn nòng diū le, huòzhě bèi rén tōu zǒu le. tā fǎnfù dīngzhǔ zìjǐ yīdìng yào xīxīn, yīdìng yào xiǎoxīn. tā bǎ qiándài cáng zài le chuáng dǐ xià, yòu yòng mù bǎn gài le qǐlái, shēng pà biérén fāxiàn. jiēxià lái de jǐ tiān, xiǎolián měitiān dōu tíxīndiǎndǎn, qǐnshí nán'ān, tā zǒngshì dānxīn qiándài huì bù yì fēi, zǒngshì rěn bù zhù tōutōu de qù jiǎnchá. tā yīhuǐ'er kàn kàn chuáng dǐ xià, yīhuǐ'er yòu kàn kàn chuānghu, shēng pà yǒu xiǎotōu qiányù. tā lián zuò mèng dōu zài mèng dào qiándài bèi tōu zǒu le, jīngxǐng hòu yīshēn lěnghàn. zhídào fùmǔ huí lái, xiǎolián cái zhōngyú sōng le yī kǒuqì, cháng shū yī kǒuqì. fùmǔ kàn dào nǚ'ér rúcǐ qiáocuì de múyàng, xīnténg bù yǐ, fǔwèi tā yīfān, xiǎolián cái cèng cóng tǎntè bù'ān de qíngxù zhōng huǎnguò shén lái。

Long ago, in a remote mountain village, lived a girl named Xiao Lian. Xiao Lian was kind-hearted, hardworking, and thrifty, and was deeply loved by the villagers. One day, Xiao Lian's parents went out on business. Before they left, they entrusted Xiao Lian with all their savings, and urged her to keep them safe. Xiao Lian took the heavy money bag, and felt uneasy. She had never kept so much money alone before, and was afraid that she might lose it accidentally or it might be stolen. She repeatedly told herself to be careful and cautious. She hid the money bag under the bed and covered it with a wooden board, fearing that others might find it. In the following days, Xiao Lian was always worried and could not sleep well. She was always worried that the money bag would disappear, and always couldn't help but secretly check it. She would look under the bed and then at the window, fearing that there would be thieves breaking in. She even dreamed that the money bag was stolen, and woke up in a cold sweat. Only when her parents came back could Xiao Lian finally breathe a sigh of relief. When the parents saw their daughter's haggard appearance, they felt very sorry for her and comforted her. Only then could Xiao Lian recover from her anxiety.

Usage

常用作谓语、宾语、状语，形容人内心不安、焦虑的状态。

cháng yòng zuò wèiyǔ, bīnyǔ, zhuàngyǔ, xiángróng rén nèixīn bù'ān, jiāolǜ de zhuàngtài。

Often used as a predicate, object, or adverbial modifier to describe a person's state of inner anxiety and worry.

Examples

• 他考试前忐忑不安，总是睡不着觉。

  tā kǎoshì qián tǎntè bù'ān, zǒngshì shuì bu zháo jiào。

  He was restless and couldn't sleep before the exam.

• 听到这个消息后，他忐忑不安，坐立不安。

  tīngdào zhège xiāoxī hòu, tā tǎntè bù'ān, zuòlì bù'ān。

  After hearing the news, he was uneasy and fidgety..

Related Idioms

• 惶恐不安

• 坐立不安

• 惴惴不安

Opposite Idioms

• 心安理得

• 泰然自若