📖 Meaning
Unable to sleep or eat peacefully; being so worried or anxious that one loses appetite and rest. It describes a state of deep concern or distress that disrupts basic daily needs.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to 'Strategies of the Warring States' (战国策), specifically the chapter on Qi (齐策五), where it is recorded that the King of Qin was so terrified that he could not rest comfortably in bed nor enjoy the taste of his food. The original wording '寝不安席，食不甘味' conveys the same idea of sleeplessness and loss of appetite born from fear or worry. Over time the expression was condensed into the four-character idiom '寝食不安' to describe anyone consumed by anxiety.
💡 Example Usage
自从儿子生病住院后，她整日寝食不安。
Ever since her son was hospitalized with illness, she has been unable to eat or sleep in peace.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 寝食不安
- Pinyin: qǐn shí bù ān
- Literal Translation: sleep, eat, not, peaceful
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4