Chinese word

提心吊胆

Pronunciation

Pinyintí xīn diào dǎn

Meaning

  • idiombe anxious

Example

考试前，他一直提心吊胆。kǎo shì qián tā yì zhí tí xīn diào dǎn

Before the exam, he was anxious the whole time.

Illustration for 提心吊胆 (be anxious)

More examples

孩子放学晚了，母亲一整天都提心吊胆。hái zi fàng xué wǎn le mǔ qīn yì zhěng tiān dōu tí xīn diào dǎn

The child was late coming home from school, and the mother was anxious all day.

Core concept

Fear leaves a person feeling suspended and unable to regain calm while possible trouble lies ahead.

Common phrases

  • 提心吊胆地等待tí xīn diào dǎn dì děng dài

    wait anxiously

  • 让人提心吊胆ràng rén tí xīn diào dǎn

    make people anxious

  • 为孩子的安全提心吊胆wèi hái zi de ān quán tí xīn diào dǎn

    be anxious about a child's safety

Similar words

惴惴不安zhuì zhuì bù ān: Feeling uneasy and fearful, with restless worry that makes it hard to stay calm.
忐忑不安tǎn tè bù ān: Feeling inner unrest and a pounding heart because an uncertain situation causes worry.
心神不宁xīn shén bù níng: Being mentally unsettled and distracted by worry and too many thoughts.

Definition in Chinese

表示对未来不确定的事情感到非常担心和害怕，心里一直紧张不能安稳。biǎo shì duì wèi lái bú què dìng de shì qíng gǎn dào fēi cháng dān xīn hé hài pà xīn lǐ yì zhí jǐn zhāng bù néng ān wěn

Word origin

提心吊胆 (tíxīndiàodǎn, "lift the heart and hang the gallbladder") joins actions that make the heart and gallbladder seem unsettled, turning physical imagery into a figurative picture of fear.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often use nervous for both excitement and fear, but this idiom points to the fear-filled side and usually suggests an uncertain outcome.

Other meanings

  • be scaredidiom
  • be nervousidiom

Opposites

Word lists with this word