提心吊胆
提心吊胆 (tí xīn diào dǎn) literally means “lift heart hang gall” and expresses “constant dread; unable to stop worrying”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.
Also searched as: ti xin diao dan, ti xin diao dan,提心吊胆 meaning, 提心吊胆 in english
Constant dread; unable to stop worrying
Pronunciation: tí xīn diào dǎn Literal meaning: Lift heart hang gall
Origin & Usage
The heart (心) hoisted up (提) and the gall bladder (胆) left swinging (吊). Chinese physiology puts courage in the gall, so the phrase names both organs of nerve as displaced at once — it is a description of the body, not of the thoughts. That is what separates it from ordinary worry. It describes sustained dread with a physical seat: waiting for a result, sitting through a flight in weather, living beside a situation that could break at any moment.
Examples
English: "The parents waited anxiously for their teenager to return home after midnight"
Chinese: 父母焦急地等待着午夜后他们十几岁的孩子回家
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about life philosophy
胆大心细
dǎn dà xīn xì
Courage balanced with careful attention
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相提并论
xiāng tí bìng lùn
Treat unlike things as equivalent
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刻骨铭心
kè gǔ míng xīn
Deeply and permanently affected
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心猿意马
xīn yuán yì mǎ
Restless, unfocused mind
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称心如意
chèn xīn rú yì
Perfectly satisfying every expectation
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心血来潮
xīn xuè lái cháo
Acting on a sudden impulse or whim
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掉以轻心
diào yǐ qīng xīn
Lower one's guard
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口是心非
kǒu shì xīn fēi
Words differ from thoughts
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 提心吊胆 mean in English?
提心吊胆 (tí xīn diào dǎn) literally translates to “Lift heart hang gall” and is used to express “Constant dread; unable to stop worrying”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.
When is 提心吊胆 used?
Situation: The parents waited anxiously for their teenager to return home after midnight
What is the pinyin for 提心吊胆?
The pinyin pronunciation for 提心吊胆 is “tí xīn diào dǎn”.