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镇定自若 (zhèn dìng zì rě) — perfectly calm and collected; composed and unruffled

Definition

A formal chengyu meaning 'perfectly calm and composed' under pressure — stronger than just 冷静, with a sense of ease that the situation doesn't shake you.

idiom
perfectly calm and collectedcomposed and unruffled

Examples

  • ，镇定自若。
    Miàn duì tū fā huǒ zāi, tā zhèn dìng zì rě dì zhǐ huī dà jiā táo shēng.
    Facing the sudden fire, he calmly directed everyone to evacuate.
  • ，镇定自若，。
    Tán pàn zhōng duì fāng bù bù jǐn bī, wǒ fāng dài biǎo réng rán zhèn dìng zì rě, háo bù huāng luàn.
    During the negotiation, the other side pressured step by step, but our representative remained perfectly composed, not flustered at all.
  • ，镇定自若，。
    Kǎo shì shí yù dào nán tí, tā zhèn dìng zì rě dì sī kǎo le yí huì r, rán hòu shùn lì jiě dá.
    When encountering a difficult question on the exam, she thought calmly for a moment and then solved it smoothly.

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 鎮; 镇 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
金金jīnmetal
Sound part声符shēngfú
真
真zhēn鎮zhèn
Same sound today

The traditional form 鎮 uses 金, metal, and 真, which gave its sound; it depicted pressing down with a metal weight. The simplified 镇 is a later abbreviation.

Open 镇 →

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
正
正zhèng定dìng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

定 is built from 宀 and 正, with 正 supplying the sound.

Open 定 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

自 originally drew a nose. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write 自, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 自 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

若 began as a picture of a person combing their hair, associated with obedience.

Open 若 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesPersonality & Traits

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