七上八下 — “To be agitated and restless”
七上八下 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be agitated and restless”. To be in a state of anxiety or nervous suspense; to feel flustered and confused. Literally, “Seven up, eight down”.
七上八下 Pronunciation and Pinyin
七上八下 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 七上八下
Origin and Story of 七上八下
In a classic tale, Pan Jinlian had an affair with Ximen Qing and poisoned Wu Dalang. Wu Song, Wu Dalang's brother, reported this to the authorities, but they disregarded his complaint.
Determined to seek justice, Wu Song decided to personally interrogate Pan Jinlian, inviting neighbors to witness the proceedings. Hu Zhengqing, a former clerk, was among the invited guests.
Wu Song strictly forbade anyone from leaving midway, which made Hu Zhengqing's heart pound with extreme unease and anxiety, a feeling described as "fifteen buckets being drawn from a well, seven up, eight down" (a vivid expression for being totally flustered).
After the interrogation, Wu Song personally executed Pan Jinlian.
Idioms Related to 七上八下
Antonyms of 七上八下
More idioms starting with 七
- qī七qī七bā八bā八more or less; in bits and pieces
- qī七shàng上bā八luò落agitated and unsettled
- qī七le了bā八dāng当Everything is properly arranged and settled
- qī七shì事bā八shì事numerous and jumbled matters
- qī七dào倒bā八wāi歪in complete disarray
- qī七shí十èr二biàn变numerous and varied transformations
- qī七shí十èr二háng行all trades and professions
- qī七kǒu口bā八zuǐ嘴many people talking at once
- qī七zuǐ嘴bā八zhāng张many people talking at once
- qī七zuǐ嘴bā八shé舌many people talking at once
- qī七dà大bā八xiǎo小of varying or uneven sizes
- qī七zi子bā八xù婿a large and thriving family
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Open the tool →Questions about 七上八下
What does 七上八下 mean?
七上八下 (qī shàng bā xià) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to be agitated and restless”.
How do you pronounce 七上八下?
七上八下 is pronounced qī shàng bā xià in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 七上八下 literally mean?
Literally, 七上八下 means “Seven up, eight down”. It is used to mean “to be agitated and restless”.
Where does 七上八下 come from?
七上八下 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 七上八下?
形容心里慌乱不安。