📖 Meaning
Describes an eager, enthusiastic readiness to attempt something new or take on a challenge. The person is practically itching to have a go, full of anticipation and restless energy. It carries a positive, spirited connotation rather than a cautious one.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom traces back to the ancient text 《诗经·大雅·旱麓》 (Book of Odes, Greater Odes, 'Han Lu'), where the phrase '跃跃毚兔' describes a lively, bounding hare. Later writers extended the imagery of leaping eagerness to human behavior, and the expression evolved into '跃跃欲试' to capture the feeling of being so eager that one is ready to spring into action at any moment.
💡 Example Usage
听到这个新项目的消息后，大家都跃跃欲试，纷纷报名参加。
Hearing about this new project, everyone was itching to give it a try and eagerly signed up to participate.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 跃跃欲试
- Pinyin: yuè yuè yù shì
- Literal Translation: leaping leaping, desiring to try
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4