Chinese word

杞人忧天

Pronunciation

Pinyinqǐ rén yōu tiān

Meaning

  • idiomworry needlessly

Example

别为没发生的事杞人忧天。bié wèi méi fā shēng de shì qǐ rén yōu tiān

Don't worry needlessly about things that haven't happened.

Illustration for 杞人忧天 (worry needlessly)

More examples

别担心，没必要杞人忧天。bié dān xīn méi bì yào qǐ rén yōu tiān

Don't worry; there's no need to worry needlessly.

Core concept

Fear reaches beyond the evidence and turns a merely possible danger into a source of present distress.

Common phrases

  • 不要杞人忧天bú yào qǐ rén yōu tiān

    don't worry needlessly

  • 没必要杞人忧天méi bì yào qǐ rén yōu tiān

    no need to worry needlessly

Similar words

自寻烦恼zì xún fán nǎo: Looking for troubles to worry about and causing needless distress.
胡思乱想hú sī luàn xiǎng: Letting unfounded thoughts jump from one thing to another and disturb the mind.

Definition in Chinese

因凭空担心未来可能发生的灾祸而自烦自扰。yīn píng kōng dān xīn wèi lái kě néng fā shēng de zāi huò ér zì fán zì rǎo

Word origin

杞 (qǐ, "Qi") 人 (rén, "person") + 忧 (yōu, "worry") 天 (tiān, "sky") comes from a Liezi story about a man from Qi who feared that the sky would fall.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, the idiom can sound more literary than ordinary speech, so it often appears in a clear comment on someone's anxious thinking.

Other meanings

  • groundless worryidiom

Opposites

Word lists with this word