📖 Meaning
Like a monkey in both head and brain; describing someone who is restless and fidgety, unable to sit still. It characterizes a person whose movements are impulsive and hyperactive, much like a monkey's erratic behavior.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is a folk expression that arose from everyday observation of monkeys' characteristic restlessness and fidgeting. Monkeys are well known in Chinese culture for their ceaseless movement and inability to stay still, making them a natural metaphor for jittery, undisciplined behavior. The expression likely circulated in colloquial speech for generations before being recorded in written form. No specific literary origin or associated historical figure has been definitively documented.
💡 Example Usage
这孩子一点规矩也不懂，猴头猴脑的，一刻也坐不住。
This child has no manners at all, always fidgeting and restless, unable to sit still for even a moment.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 猴头猴脑
- Pinyin: hóu tóu hóu nǎo
- Literal Translation: monkey, head, monkey, brain
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4