每天成语
background texture
< 争分夺秒想入非非 >

患得患失

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: huàn dé huàn shī
  • English Translation: Worrying about personal gain and loss (obsessing over outcomes)
  • Idiom Composition: 「患」（To worry or be anxious about）＋「得」（To gain or obtain）＋「患」（To worry or be anxious about）＋「失」（To lose）
  • Meaning: To worry about not getting something before you have it, and then worrying about losing it once you do. It refers to a state of anxiety caused by an excessive concern for personal interests, status, or the results of an endeavor.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「患得患失」 contains the following nuances:

  • Excessive Attachment: This idiom doesn't just mean general nervousness; it specifically points to anxiety rooted in a deep obsession with one's own interests or status.
  • Indecisive Mentality: It describes how being too focused on the outcome can lead to mental instability, preventing a person from taking bold or necessary actions.

3. Usage

「患得患失」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Psychological State: Used when someone is mentally unstable or anxious because they are too focused on the results of an exam, a match, or a romantic relationship.
    • Example:「比赛前不要患得患失，只要尽力发挥就好。」
      （Don't spend the time before the match worrying about winning or losing; just do your best.)
  • Business and Career: Used to describe a lack of decisiveness or a tendency to play it too safe due to an obsession with status or potential loss.
    • Example:「做生意要有冒险精神，总是患得患失是很难成功的。」
      （Doing business requires a spirit of adventure; it is hard to succeed if you are always obsessing over personal gain and loss.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 他在感情中总是患得患失，让对方感到很有压力。
    （He is always worrying about gain and loss in the relationship, which makes his partner feel a lot of pressure.）
  2. 与其整天患得患失，不如把精力放在提升自己上。
    （Instead of obsessing over success and failure all day, it's better to focus your energy on self-improvement.）
  3. 这种患得患失的心态限制了他的发展。
    （This mindset of being overly concerned with personal gain has limited his development.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Source: This idiom originates from the Analects (论语), in the 'Yang Huo' chapter. Confucius (孔子) used it to criticize 'lowly people' (鄙夫 - bǐ fū) who worry about obtaining a position and then immediately worry about losing it once they have it.
  • Modern Nuance: While it originally referred to the pursuit of official rank, in modern Chinese it is applied to money, romance, or any competitive situation. It carries a critical nuance, suggesting the person has a 'small' character or is mentally fragile due to their attachments.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

患得患失 (huàn dé huàn shī) describes a psychological state of being constantly anxious about personal gains and losses. It suggests that a person is so focused on the outcome—whether it be a promotion, a relationship, or a competition—that they become mentally unstable or unable to act decisively. It is generally used in a critical sense to describe someone who lacks a broad perspective or is too attached to self-interest.

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Pre-Level 1

Idiom Essay

huàn dé huàn shī
患得患失
Worrying About Gains and Losses
shēng huó生活zhōng中，nǐ你yǒu méi yǒu有没有guò过zhè yàng这样yī zhǒng一种xīn qíng心情？

In life, have you ever experienced this kind of feeling?

dāng当nǐ你fēi cháng非常xiǎng yào想要dé dào得到mǒu yàng某样dōng xī东西de的shí hòu时候，xīn lǐ心里bìng并bú shì不是dān chún单纯de的qī dài期待，ér shì而是chōng mǎn充满le了jǐn zhāng紧张。

When you really want something, your heart isn't just filled with simple anticipation, but with tension.

nǐ你hài pà害怕zì jǐ自己bù gòu不够hǎo好，hài pà害怕yùn qì运气bù不zài在nǐ你zhè biān这边。

You fear you aren't good enough, or that luck isn't on your side.

hòu lái后来，nǐ你zhōng yú终于dé dào得到le了tā它。

Later, you finally get it.

kě shì可是，qí guài奇怪de的shì是，nǐ你bìng并méi yǒu没有gǎn dào感到fàng sōng放松。

But strangely, you don't feel relaxed.

xiāng fǎn相反，nǐ你kāi shǐ开始biàn dé变得gèng jiā更加xiǎo xīn yì yì小心翼翼。

Instead, you start becoming even more cautious.

nǐ你hài pà害怕tā它huì会huài diào坏掉，hài pà害怕tā它huì会lí kāi离开，huò zhě或者hài pà害怕bié rén别人bǎ把tā它qiǎng zǒu抢走。

You fear it will break, fear it will leave, or fear someone else will take it away.

hái还méi yǒu没有dé dào得到de的shí hòu时候，nǐ你dān xīn担心dé bú dào得不到；děng dào等到zhēn de真的yōng yǒu拥有le了，nǐ你yòu又zài在dān xīn担心huì会shī qù失去。

Before getting it, you worry about not getting it; once you have it, you worry about losing it.

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个fēi cháng非常jīng zhǔn精准de的chéng yǔ成语，yòng lái用来xíng róng形容zhè zhǒng这种zǒng shì总是xuán悬zài在bàn kōng半空zhōng中de的xīn tài心态，jiào叫“huàn dé huàn shī患得患失”。

In Chinese, there is a very precise idiom to describe this state of mind that is always hanging in the air, called 患得患失.

zhè这sì gè四个zì字chāi kāi拆开lái来kàn看，yì si意思hěn很zhí jiē直接。

If you break down these four characters, the meaning is very direct.

“huàn患”，jiù shì就是yōu huàn忧患、dān xīn担心。

患 means worry or anxiety.

“dé得”，shì是dé dào得到；“shī失”，shì是shī qù失去。

得 means to gain; 失 means to lose.

zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语zuì chū最初shì是yòng lái用来xíng róng形容nà xiē那些tài太kàn zhòng看重dì wèi地位de的rén人，dàn但xiàn zài现在，wǒ men我们yòng用tā它lái来xíng róng形容rèn hé任何yī zhǒng一种“yīn wèi因为tài太zài hū在乎jié guǒ结果，ér而ràng让zì jǐ自己biàn dé变得cuì ruò脆弱”de的zhuàng tài状态。

This idiom was originally used to describe people who cared too much about status, but now we use it to describe any state of being fragile because one cares too much about the outcome.

wǒ men我们cháng cháng常常huì会zài在shén me什么shí kè时刻gǎn dào感到“huàn dé huàn shī患得患失”ne呢？

At what moments do we often feel 患得患失?

wǎng wǎng往往shì是zài在miàn duì面对nà xiē那些wǒ men我们fēi cháng非常kàn zhòng看重、què却yòu又jué de觉得zì jǐ自己wú fǎ无法wán quán完全zhǎng kòng掌控de的shì qíng事情shí时。

It is often when facing things we value highly but feel we cannot fully control.

bǐ rú比如yī duàn一段gāng gāng刚刚kāi shǐ开始de的gǎn qíng感情。

For example, a relationship that has just begun.

duì fāng对方méi yǒu没有huí回xiāo xī消息，nǐ你dān xīn担心tā他bù不xǐ huān喜欢nǐ你；duì fāng对方huí回le了xiāo xī消息，nǐ你yòu又dān xīn担心zì jǐ自己xià下yī jù huà一句话shuō说cuò错。

If the other person doesn't reply to your message, you worry they don't like you; if they do reply, you worry about saying the wrong thing next.

bǐ rú比如yī fèn一份mèng mèi yǐ qiú梦寐以求de的gōng zuò工作。

For example, a dream job.

miàn shì面试qián前，nǐ你jiāo lǜ焦虑dé得shuì bù zhe睡不着；bèi被lù qǔ录取hòu后，nǐ你yòu又měi tiān每天dān xīn担心zì jǐ自己biǎo xiàn表现bù hǎo不好huì会bèi被cí tuì辞退。

Before the interview, you are too anxious to sleep; after being hired, you worry every day that you will be fired for poor performance.

nǐ你huì会fā xiàn发现，“huàn dé huàn shī患得患失”de的rén人，qí shí其实huó活dé得hěn很lèi累。

You will find that people who are 患得患失 actually live very tiring lives.

yīn wèi因为tā men他们de的kuài lè快乐shì是yǒu有tiáo jiàn条件de的，ér qiě而且zhè ge这个tiáo jiàn条件fēi cháng非常cuì ruò脆弱。

Because their happiness is conditional, and those conditions are very fragile.

zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语zuì最ràng让rén人shēn sī深思de的dì fāng地方zài yú在于：tā它ràng让wǒ men我们kàn dào看到，rú guǒ如果bù不tiáo zhěng调整xīn tài心态，“dé dào得到”bìng并bù néng不能zhì yù治愈jiāo lǜ焦虑。

The most thought-provoking part of this idiom is that it shows us that if we don't adjust our mindset, gaining something cannot cure anxiety.

yuán běn原本wǒ men我们yǐ wéi以为，zhǐ yào只要dé dào得到le了xiǎng yào想要de的dōng xī东西，xīn心jiù就huì会ān wěn安稳xià lái下来。

Originally, we thought that as long as we got what we wanted, our hearts would settle down.

dàn但“huàn dé huàn shī患得患失”gào sù告诉wǒ men我们，zhǐ yào只要nǐ你bǎ把ān quán gǎn安全感wán quán完全jì tuō寄托zài在wài zài外在de的dōng xī东西shàng上，nà me那么wú lùn无论nǐ你yōng yǒu拥有duō shǎo多少，nǐ你xīn lǐ心里de的nà ge那个hēi dòng黑洞yī rán依然cún zài存在。

But 患得患失 tells us that as long as you pin your sense of security entirely on external things, no matter how much you possess, that black hole in your heart still exists.

suǒ yǐ所以，dāng当wǒ men我们shuō说yí gè一个rén人“huàn dé huàn shī患得患失”shí时，bìng并bù不wán quán完全shì是zài在pī píng批评tā他tān lán贪婪。

So, when we say someone is 患得患失, we aren't entirely criticizing them for being greedy.

gèng更duō多de的shí hòu时候，shì是zài在gǎn tàn感叹tā他yīn wèi因为tài太xiǎng想zhuā zhù抓住yī yàng一样dōng xī东西，fǎn ér反而shī qù失去le了nèi xīn内心de的zì yóu自由。

More often, it is a lament that because they want to hold onto something too tightly, they instead lose their inner freedom.

xià cì下次，dāng当nǐ你fā xiàn发现zì jǐ自己yīn wèi因为tài太zài hū在乎yí gè一个jié guǒ结果，ér而biàn dé变得jiāo lǜ bù ān焦虑不安、shèn zhì甚至bù不gǎn敢xíng dòng行动shí时，nǐ你kě yǐ可以tí xǐng提醒zì jǐ自己：wǒ我xiàn zài现在shì bú shì是不是yǒu diǎn有点“huàn dé huàn shī患得患失”le了？

Next time, when you find yourself becoming anxious or even afraid to act because you care too much about a result, you can remind yourself: Am I being a bit 患得患失 right now?

yě xǔ也许，dāng当nǐ你yì shí dào意识到zhè这yì diǎn一点de的shí kè时刻，jiù shì就是nǐ你kāi shǐ开始zhǎo huí找回píng cháng xīn平常心de的shí kè时刻。

Perhaps the moment you realize this is the moment you begin to find your peace of mind again.

'造句' Feature Usage Guide

造句练习📝

Try creating sentences using '患得患失'!

0/50