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tǎn 忐 tè 忑 bù 不 ān 安

忐忑不安 tǎn tè bù ān

uneasy; nervous and unsettled

Literally: perturbed uneasy not calm

Intermediate 😊 Feelings & moods
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Origin

Descriptive; no single source story. 忐忑 is an old word written with 'up' and 'down' over 'heart', picturing a heart going up and down.

How to use it

Predicate or adverbial; negative. Often 心里忐忑不安 or 忐忑不安地等待.

Example sentences

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  1. 面试之前，她心里忐忑不安。
    Miànshì zhīqián, tā xīnlǐ tǎn tè bù ān.
    Before the interview she felt nervous and unsettled.
    interview before, she heart-in perturbed uneasy not calm
  2. 他忐忑不安地打开了那封信。
    Tā tǎn tè bù ān de dǎkāi le nà fēng xìn.
    He opened the letter uneasily.
    he perturbed uneasy not calm (particle) open (particle) that (measure) letter

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