见异思迁 (jiàn yì sī qiān) — to be inconstant; to lack willpower and shift goals when tempted by something new

Definition

A chengyu meaning to be fickle or inconstant — shifting one's interests as soon as something new appears. Carries a strong negative judgment about lack of commitment.

idiom
to be inconstantto lack willpower and shift goals when tempted by something new

Examples

  • ，见异思迁，。
    Tā zuò shén me gōng zuò dōu zuò bù cháng, zǒng shì jiàn yì sī qiān, suǒ yǐ yí shì wú chéng.
    He never stays long at any job and is always changing his mind, so he accomplishes nothing.
  • ，见异思迁。
    Xué xí yì mén jì néng xū yào jiān chí, bù néng jiàn yì sī qiān.
    Learning a skill requires persistence — you can't be fickle.
  • 见异思迁，。
    Tā zhǎo duì xiàng yě jiàn yì sī qiān, jiàn yí gè ài yí gè.
    He's also inconstant in relationships — he falls for everyone new he meets.

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 見; 见 is its simplified writing.

  • 目目mùeye
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The traditional form 見 pairs 目 (eye) with 卩 (kneeling person), showing a kneeling figure with a large eye for a head. The simplified 见 is a later shorthand.

Open 见 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 異; 异 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 異 depicts a person with a mask 田 over the face, so the face looks different. The simplified 异 is a later shorthand.

Open 异 →

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
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
囟
囟xìn思sī
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 思, 心 (heart) points to thinking, while the top part is a changed form of 囟, which supplied the sound.

Open 思 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 迁 →

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