蠢蠢欲动 (chǔn chǔn yù dòng) — (idiom) ready to stir up trouble; to be about t… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A literary idiom meaning restless and ready to make a move, almost always with a sense of threat or trouble. Implies enemies or bad actors are about to act, not harmless activity.

idiom

ready to stir up troubleto be about to cause troubleto make a move (with hostile intent)

Examples

蠢蠢欲动。
Biān jìng de dí rén yòu kāi shǐ chǔn chǔn yù dòng le.
The enemies on the border are starting to make trouble again.
蠢蠢欲动，。
Nà xiē bù fǎ fèn zǐ chǔn chǔn yù dòng, xiǎng yào pò huài shè huì wěn dìng.
Those lawbreakers are ready to cause trouble, wanting to disrupt social stability.
，蠢蠢欲动，。
Kàn dào jī huì, yì xiē tóu jī zhě chǔn chǔn yù dòng, zhǔn bèi dà lāo yì bǐ.
Seeing an opportunity, some speculators are poised to cause trouble, ready to make a big profit.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

蠢蠢stirring

蠢chǔnstirring蠢chǔnstirring

欲动about to move

欲yùabout to动dòngmove

偏正Modifier + head

蠢蠢 suggests a stirring, uneasy state, and 欲动 adds the sense of being about to move.

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.

春䖵蠢

Meaning part形符xíngfú

䖵䖵䖵insects

Sound part声符shēngfú

春

春chūn蠢chǔn

Same sound today

蠢 pairs 䖵 (insects) with 春 as a sound part.

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

春䖵蠢

Meaning part形符xíngfú

䖵䖵䖵insects

Sound part声符shēngfú

春

春chūn蠢chǔn

Same sound today

蠢 pairs 䖵 (insects) with 春 as a sound part.

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

谷欠欲

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

谷

谷gǔ欲yù

Same sound today

欲 is made of 谷, which supplies the sound, and 欠, which relates to the meaning.

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 動; 动 is its simplified writing.

重力動

Meaning part形符xíngfú

力力lìstrength

Sound part声符shēngfú

重

重zhòng動dòng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 動 uses 力 (strength) and 重 as a sound part; 重 refers to a heavy bag ready to be moved by a human. This note is about 動, not 动.

Appears in

Idioms & Set Phrases

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