📖 Meaning
Describes someone who is fidgety, awkward, and ill at ease in manner, feeling nervous and uneasy because of embarrassment, guilt, or being in an unfamiliar or intimidating situation. The person's movements are constrained and their mind is unsettled, unable to relax.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the Ming-dynasty novel 《东周列国志》 (Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms) by Feng Menglong, Chapter 12, set in the Spring and Autumn period. After Duke Zhao of Zheng ascended the throne, he nursed a grudge against the minister Zhai Zu but did not punish him, only treating him with noticeably reduced favor. Feeling constrained and uneasy over their strained relations, Zhai Zu frequently claimed illness and stopped attending court. This scene of anxious, fidgety behavior was condensed into the idiom 局促不安 to describe a person's uneasy, restless demeanor.
💡 Example Usage
面对老师的严厉批评，他站在办公室里局促不安，双手不知该往哪里放。
Facing the teacher's stern criticism, he stood in the office feeling ill at ease, not knowing where to put his hands.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 局促不安
- Pinyin: jú cù bù ān
- Literal Translation: constrained, ill at ease, not, at peace
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4