处变不惊 (chǔ biàn bù jīng) — to remain calm and composed in the face of crisis or sudden change

Definition

A chengyu praising a person who stays calm and composed when crisis or sudden change hits — a leadership-quality trait, not everyday composure. Note the chǔ here is the literary 'to face/handle', unrelated to the common noun 处 (place).

idiom
to remain calm and composed in the face of crisis or sudden change

Examples

  • ，处变不惊，。
    Miàn duì tū rú qí lái de wēi jī, tā yī rán chǔ biàn bù jīng, lěng jìng chǔ lǐ.
    Facing the sudden crisis, he remained calm and handled it coolly.
  • 处变不惊。
    Yí wèi yōu xiù de lǐng dǎo zhě bì xū zuò dào chǔ biàn bù jīng.
    An excellent leader must be able to stay composed in the face of change.
  • 处变不惊，。
    Tā zài tán pàn zhōng chǔ biàn bù jīng, yíng dé le duì fāng de zūn zhòng.
    He remained unflappable during the negotiations and earned the other side's respect.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 處; 处 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
夂夂zhǐ
几几jǐtable
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū處chǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 處 pairs 虍, giving the sound, with 夂 and 几, a table, as meaning parts. The simplified 处 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 处 →

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 變; 变 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
攴攴pū
Sound part声符shēngfú
䜌
䜌䜌變biàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 變 uses 䜌 as a sound part and 攴 as a meaning part.

Open 变 →

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
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
京
京jīng惊jīng
Same sound today

惊 is made from 忄 (heart) and 京, which gives the sound.

Open 惊 →

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