📖 Meaning
Describes tossing and turning repeatedly, especially when unable to sleep. It can also describe doing something over and over again. The idiom vividly captures a state of restlessness and repeated motion.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from a ci poem titled 'Jianzi Mulan Hua' (减字木兰花) by the Song dynasty poet Zhao Changqing (赵长卿). In the poem, the speaker describes a sleepless night, tossing and turning endlessly while counting the days until a loved one's return. The Ming dynasty writer Quan Daoren (全道人) later used the idiom in his work 'Lan Huamei' (懒画眉), describing illness compounded by sensitivity to heat and cold, unable to find rest.
💡 Example Usage
夜深人静，他躺在床上覆去翻来，怎么也睡不着。
In the dead of night, he lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 覆去翻来
- Pinyin: fù qù fān lái
- Literal Translation: turn over, go, turn, come
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4