局促不安 (jú cù bù ān) — ill at ease, nervous, uncomfortable (of a person's state)

Definition

A four-character idiom meaning visibly nervous and uneasy in a situation — stronger and more literary than saying 紧张 alone.

idiom
ill at easenervousuncomfortable (of a person's state)

Examples

  • ，局促不安。
    Tā dì yī cì shàng tái yǎn jiǎng, xiǎn de jú cù bù ān.
    He looked ill at ease when giving his first speech on stage.
  • ，局促不安。
    Zài mò shēng de huán jìng lǐ, tā zǒng shì gǎn dào jú cù bù ān.
    She always feels ill at ease in unfamiliar surroundings.
  • ，局促不安，。
    Miàn duì lǎo bǎn de zhì wèn, tā jú cù bù ān, shuō bù chū huà lái.
    Facing his boss's questioning, he was ill at ease and couldn't speak.

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.

局促cramped uneasy
局júcramped促cùpressed
联合Side by side
不安uneasy
不bùnot安ānat ease
偏正Modifier + head

“局促” and “不安” both express a cramped, uneasy state, giving a feeling of being ill at ease.

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
尸尸shī
Sound part声符shēngfú
句
句jù局jú
Same sound today

The shape of 局 pairs 尸, a meaning part, with 句, a sound part.

Open 局 →

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
亻Written in full as人rén
Sound part声符shēngfú
足
足zú促cù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

促 pairs 亻 (person, written 人 when complete) with 足, which helps show its sound.

Open 促 →

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 →

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