Chinese word

大惊小怪

Pronunciation

Pinyindà jīng xiǎo guài

Meaning

  • idiomoverreact

Example

没必要为这点事大惊小怪。méi bì yào wèi zhè diǎn shì dà jīng xiǎo guài

There's no need to overreact to something this small.

Illustration for 大惊小怪 (overreact)

More examples

在紧急情况下，他不会大惊小怪，而是马上采取行动。zài jǐn jí qíng kuàng xià tā bú huì dà jīng xiǎo guài ér shì mǎ shàng cái qǔ xíng dòng

In an emergency, he does not make a fuss but immediately takes action.

Core concept

A quiet ripple is mistaken for a storm, and the response creates more disturbance than the original event.

Common phrases

  • 别再大惊小怪bié zài dà jīng xiǎo guài

    stop overreacting

  • 不要对这事大惊小怪bú yào duì zhè shì dà jīng xiǎo guài

    don't make a fuss about this matter

Similar words

小题大做xiǎo tí dà zuò: Treating a small problem as a major one and making far more of it than needed.
小题大办xiǎo tí dà bàn: Making elaborate preparations or arrangements for a matter that is not important.
小题大作xiǎo tí dà zuò: Making a big fuss over a minor matter by presenting it as more serious than it is.

Definition in Chinese

对微不足道的事表现出夸张的惊讶或不必要的慌张，以至于引起不必要的关注或纷争。duì wēi bù zú dào de shì biǎo xiàn chū kuā zhāng de jīng yà huò bú bì yào de huāng zhāng yǐ zhì yú yín qǐ bú bì yào de guān zhù huò fēn zhēng

Word origin

大 (dà, "great") + 惊 (jīng, "alarm") is set against 小 (xiǎo, "small") + 怪 (guài, "oddity"), portraying a minor matter as a serious alarm.

Usage tips

  • The expression is especially natural in conversational remarks about someone's reaction and is less suitable for a formal report, which usually calls for more neutral wording.

Other meanings

  • make a fussidiom

Opposites

Word lists with this word