qǐ杞Qirén人personyōu忧worrytiān天sky
To worry about unfounded or imaginary fears; to be overly concerned.
Literal meaning
Qi (杞) — person (人) — worry (忧) — sky (天)
Origin
From the *Liezi*, referring to a man from the state of Qi who worried that the sky would fall.
Examples
Nǐ你zǒng总shì是qǐ杞rén人yōu忧tiān天,dān担xīn心yī一xiē些gēn根běn本bù不huì会fā发shēng生de的shì事qíng情。
You are always worrying unnecessarily about things that will never happen.
Bù不yào要qǐ杞rén人yōu忧tiān天,fàng放sōng松xīn心qíng情,xiǎng享shòu受shēng生huó活ba吧。
Don't worry unnecessarily; relax and enjoy life.
Usage & nuances
Has a negative connotation, implying unnecessary anxiety.
Learn idioms by speaking them
Idioms are most useful when they land in a real conversation. Practice them out loud in Kango — get instant feedback on tone and timing.
Download Kango on iOS