闲庭信步 (xián tíng xìn bù) — to walk leisurely and confidently; to act calmly and unhurriedly in a tense situation

Definition

A chengyu for strolling calmly and unhurriedly through a courtyard — used figuratively to describe acting with poise and confidence even under pressure.

idiom
to walk leisurely and confidentlyto act calmly and unhurriedly in a tense situation

Examples

  • ，闲庭信步，。
    Miàn duì jī liè de jìng zhēng, tā yī rán xián tíng xìn bù, háo wú jǐn zhāng zhī sè.
    Facing fierce competition, he still strolled leisurely and showed no sign of nervousness.
  • ，闲庭信步，。
    Kǎo shì qián dà jiā dōu máng zhe fù xí, zhǐ yǒu tā xián tíng xìn bù, xiàng méi shì yí yàng.
    Before the exam everyone was busy reviewing, only he walked leisurely as if nothing was happening.
  • 闲庭信步，。
    Tā zài tán pàn zhōng xián tíng xìn bù, zuì zhōng yíng dé le duì fāng de xìn rèn.
    He acted calmly and confidently in the negotiations and ultimately won the other side's trust.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 閒; 闲 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 閒 puts 月 (moon) inside 門 (door), as if moonlight peeks through a door; this picture gives the idea of a gap or space. The simplified 闲 is a later abbreviation.

Open 闲 →

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
广广guǎng
Sound part声符shēngfú
廷
廷tíng庭tíng
Same sound today

庭 combines 广 with 廷. The 廷 part gives the sound, and 广 is the meaning part.

Open 庭 →

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
言言yánwords
Sound part声符shēngfú
人
人rén信xìn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

信 pairs 人 as the sound part with 言 (words) as the meaning part.

Open 信 →

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

步 uses two 止 (foot) forms, one reversed, to show one foot stepping in front of the other.

Open 步 →

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