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焦虑不安 (jiāo lǜ bù ān) — anxious and uneasy; on pins and needles

Definition

An HSK 7 idiom meaning 'anxious and uneasy' — a stronger, more literary phrasing than the everyday 紧张. Use it for sustained worry, not a momentary flutter.

idiom
anxious and uneasyon pins and needles

Examples

  • 焦虑不安，。
    Kǎo shì qián tā gǎn dào jiāo lǜ bù ān, wǎn shàng dōu shuì bù zháo.
    Before the exam he felt anxious and uneasy, couldn't even sleep at night.
  • ，焦虑不安。
    Děng le sān tiān hái méi xiāo xi, tā yuè lái yuè jiāo lǜ bù ān.
    After waiting three days without news, she became more and more anxious and uneasy.
  • ，焦虑不安。
    Miàn duì wèi zhī de wèi lái, xǔ duō rén dōu huì gǎn dào jiāo lǜ bù ān.
    Facing an unknown future, many people feel anxious and uneasy.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
隹隹zhuībird
Sound part声符shēngfú
小
小xiǎo焦jiāo
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 焦 glyph first paired 隹 (bird) with 小 as a sound part. The 小 part later changed into a fire shape, and the character was then used for scorching.

Open 焦 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 慮; 虑 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
思思sīto think
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū慮lǜ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 慮 puts 思 (think) with 虍, which gives the sound; the simplified 虑 is a later shorthand.

Open 虑 →

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ安ān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 安, 宀 sits above a seated 女 on a cushion; 宀 is the meaning part, 女 is the sound part, and the character originally meant sitting at ease.

Open 安 →
Appears in
Emotions & FeelingsMental Health

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