Chinese word

心急如焚

Pronunciation

Pinyinxīn jí rú fén

Meaning

  • idiomworried sick

Example

爸爸在医院门口，心急如焚地等着。bà bà zài yī yuàn mén kǒu xīn jí rú fén dì děng zhe

Dad is waiting outside the hospital, worried sick.

Illustration for 心急如焚 (worried sick)

More examples

看到股价暴跌，投资者们都心急如焚。kàn dào gǔ jià bào diē tóu zī zhě men dōu xīn jí rú fén

Seeing the stock price plunge, the investors were all worried sick.

Core concept

Worry becomes so intense that the heart seems to burn and the person cannot keep still.

Common phrases

  • 为孩子的安全心急如焚wèi hái zi de ān quán xīn jí rú fén

    worried sick about the child's safety

  • 因消息迟迟未到心急如焚yīn xiāo xī chí chí wèi dào xīn jí rú fén

    worried sick over the long-delayed news

  • 为亲人心急如焚wèi qīn rén xīn jí rú fén

    worried sick about a loved one

Similar words

提心吊胆tí xīn diào dǎn: Fear and worry leave a person constantly uneasy and unable to feel safe.
忐忑不安tǎn tè bù ān: Unease about what may happen makes a person fret and feel unsettled.
坐立不安zuò lì bù ān: Restlessness makes a person unable to sit still or settle down.

Definition in Chinese

表示因担忧、着急而感到非常不安和焦躁，心里像火在烧，难以平复。biǎo shì yīn dān yōu zháo jí ér gǎn dào fēi cháng bù ān hé jiāo zào xīn lǐ xiàng huǒ zài shāo nán yǐ píng fù

Word origin

The idiom combines 心 (xīn, "heart") + 急 (jí, "urgent") + 如 (rú, "like") + 焚 (fén, "burning") to show worry as an inner fire that creates intense unrest.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, this expression signals strong emotion, so it fits major concerns better than casual impatience or a minor everyday problem.

Other meanings

  • fretidiom
  • impatientidiom

Opposites

  • 心如止水xīn rú zhí shuǐcalm and untroubledidiom
  • 心平气和xīn píng qì hécalm and even-temperedidiom

Word lists with this word