📖 Meaning
Describes tossing and turning in bed, unable to fall asleep. The pounding of the bed and slapping of the pillow expresses restless frustration and agitation when sleep will not come. It conveys intense inner distress that keeps one awake through the night.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Qing dynasty novel 'Nie Hai Hua' (孽海花) by Zeng Pu, Chapter 3. The original text describes a character whose temper grew increasingly worse — when unable to sleep, he would either pound the bed and slap the pillow, or curse heaven and earth. The phrase vividly captures the restless agitation and sleeplessness born of anger or distress, painting a picture of someone so tormented by inner turmoil that sleep becomes impossible.
💡 Example Usage
他整夜捶床拍枕，怎么也睡不着。
He spent the whole night pounding the bed and slapping the pillow, unable to fall asleep at all.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 捶床拍枕
- Pinyin: chuí chuáng pāi zhěn
- Literal Translation: beat, bed, strike, pillow
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4