忐忑不安 (tǎn tè bù ān) — uneasy, fidgety, anxious (idiom) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

An idiom meaning deeply uneasy and restless — anxiety you can feel in your body. Stronger than just 紧张: it implies ongoing inner turmoil, not just momentary nervousness.

idiom

uneasyfidgetyanxious (idiom)

Examples

忐忑不安，。
Kǎo shì qián tā gǎn dào tǎn tè bù ān, zuò lì bù ān.
Before the exam, he felt uneasy and couldn't sit still.
，忐忑不安。
Tā děng le yì zhěng tiān, xīn lǐ tǎn tè bù ān de.
She waited all day, feeling anxious inside.
，忐忑不安。
Shōu dào nà fēng xìn hòu, tā yì zhí tǎn tè bù ān.
After receiving that letter, he was restless the whole time.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

忐忑

忐tǎn忑tè

不安not calm

不bùnot安āncalm

偏正Modifier + head

忐忑 and 不安 both convey unease, together meaning anxious.

Characters in this word

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

上心忐

上上shàngup
心心xīnheart

The shape 忐 puts 上 (up) over 心 (heart).

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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.

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

宀女安

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.

Appears in

Emotions & Feelings Idioms & Set Phrases

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