杞人忧天

Pronunciation: qǐ rén yōu tiān Literal meaning: Qi person worries sky

Origin & Usage

The Liezi tells of a man (人) of Qi (杞) who feared (忧) the sky (天) would fall and the earth give way, and stopped eating and sleeping over it. A friend explained that the sky is only accumulated air and the earth accumulated solid matter, and both men were relieved — though Liezi then gives a third voice suggesting neither of them really knew. Note the state: 杞 was a small statelet of Xia descendants, not 齐. The phrase names anxiety about the theoretically possible and practically remote.

Examples

English: "His constant fears about remote dangers prevented him from enjoying life"

Chinese: 他对遥远危险的持续担忧使他无法享受生活