📖 Meaning
This idiom describes a state of extreme anxiety and agitation, as if one's heart were engulfed in flames. It conveys intense inner restlessness and unbearable worry, often when waiting for crucial news or facing an unresolved crisis. The burning imagery emphasizes both the urgency and the torment of the feeling.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom has no recorded literary origin story and is not traced to a specific dynasty, figure, or classical text. It belongs to a family of descriptive four-character expressions built on a vivid metaphor, comparing an agitated mind to fire. The pattern is echoed in closely related idioms such as 心急如焚 (heart impatient as if burning), which appear in vernacular literature and speech. Over time, 心焦如焚 has become a standard, widely accepted way to express burning anxiety in modern Chinese.
💡 Example Usage
考试结果迟迟不出，他心焦如焚，连饭都吃不下。
With the exam results still delayed, he was burning with anxiety and could hardly eat.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 心焦如焚
- Pinyin: xīn jiāo rú fén
- Literal Translation: heart, anxious, like, burning
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4