无事生非 (wú shì shēng fēi) — to make trouble out of nothing; to create problems where none exist

Definition

Idiom: someone deliberately stirs up conflict or drama when nothing is wrong. The 没事找事 / 挑拨 sense — not a neutral statement about facts.

idiom
to make trouble out of nothingto create problems where none exist

Examples

  • 无事生非，。
    Tā zǒng xǐ huan wú shì shēng fēi, gǎo dé dà jiā dōu bù yú kuài.
    He always likes to make trouble out of nothing, making everyone unhappy.
  • ，无事生非，？
    Míng míng yí qiè zhèng cháng, nǐ què zài zhè lǐ wú shì shēng fēi, shì bu shì xián dé huāng?
    Everything is perfectly fine, yet you're here stirring up trouble — are you just bored?
  • 无事生非，。
    Gōng sī lǐ yǒu xiē rén jiù ài wú shì shēng fēi, bǎ xiǎo shì nào chéng dà shì.
    Some people in the company love to make a mountain out of a molehill, turning small matters into big ones.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

无事no trouble
无wúlack事shìtrouble
动宾Verb + object
生非create trouble
生shēngcreate非fēiwrong
动宾Verb + object

无事 indicates no trouble, and 生非 indicates creating trouble, giving the sense of provoking trouble from nothing.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.

Open 事 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

生 shows 屮 (a bud) above 一 (the ground), drawing a sprout coming up from the earth.

Open 生 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 非 is drawn from two wings facing opposite directions. It later came to be used for going against or not being.

Open 非 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.