每天成语
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大惊小怪

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

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: dà jīng xiǎo guài
  • English Translation: Making a fuss over nothing (overreacting to trifles)
  • Idiom Composition: 「大」（Greatly or excessively）＋「惊」（To be surprised or startled）＋「小」（Small or trivial matters）＋「怪」（To find strange or to wonder at）
  • Meaning: To be excessively surprised or to make a big deal out of something that is actually quite small, common, or trivial.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「大惊小怪」 contains the following nuances:

  • Criticism of Disproportionate Reaction: The idiom highlights the gap between the insignificance of the event and the magnitude of the person's reaction.
  • Frequent Use in Negation: While the idiom itself describes overreacting, it is most often used in phrases like 没什么大惊小怪的 (méi shén me dà jīng xiǎo guài de) to mean 'it's no big deal' or 'it's quite normal.'
  • Implication of Inexperience: It can sometimes imply that the person reacting is 'unsophisticated' or 'naive' because they are surprised by something that experienced people consider common.

3. Usage

「大惊小怪」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Reassuring someone (Negative form): The most common usage, telling someone to stay calm because the situation is normal or expected.
    • Example:「这种事情在这里很常见，你不必大惊小怪。」
      （This kind of thing is very common here; you don't need to make a fuss.)
  • Criticizing an overreaction: Used to describe someone as being dramatic or lacking composure over a minor issue.
    • Example:「他只不过是擦破了点皮，你就大惊小怪地要叫救护车？」
      （He only has a tiny scratch, and you're making such a scene that you want to call an ambulance?)
  • Emphasizing one's own composure: Used to signal that a situation was anticipated and that others should not panic.
    • Example:「股市波动是很正常的，大家别大惊小怪。」
      （Stock market fluctuations are perfectly normal; everyone, don't panic over nothing.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 现在的孩子都会用平板电脑，这没什么可大惊小怪的。
    （Kids nowadays all know how to use tablets; this is nothing to be surprised about.）
  2. 别一副大惊小怪的样子，我又不是第一次迟到了。
    （Don't look so shocked; it's not the first time I've been late.）
  3. 由于没见过世面，他对城里的一切都感到大惊小怪。
    （Because he was inexperienced, he was amazed by everything in the city as if it were a miracle.）
  4. 这只是个小感冒，不用大惊小怪地去医院。
    （It's just a mild cold; there's no need to make a big deal out of it and go to the hospital.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Usage Frequency: This is a highly common colloquial idiom used in daily Chinese conversation across all age groups.
  • Common Phrases: Set phrases like 没什么大惊小怪的 (méi shén me dà jīng xiǎo guài de) or 不必大惊小怪 (bù bì dà jīng xiǎo guài) are essential social tools for calming others down.
  • Comparison with 小题大做 (xiǎo tí dà zuò): While both involve overreacting, 大惊小怪 (dà jīng xiǎo guài) focuses on the 'emotional surprise' or 'shock,' whereas the idiom 小题大做 (xiǎo tí dà zuò), which means 'to make a mountain out of a molehill,' focuses on the 'actions' taken to treat a small problem as a major one.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

大惊小怪 (dà jīng xiǎo guài) describes a situation where someone reacts with disproportionate shock or commotion to a minor event. It is frequently used in negative constructions, such as 没什么大惊小怪的 (méi shén me dà jīng xiǎo guài de), to tell someone that a situation is normal and there is no need to panic or be surprised.

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

Idiom Essay

dà jīng xiǎo guài
大惊小怪
Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill
zhōu yī周一zǎo shàng早上，xiǎo chén小陈gāng刚zǒu jìn走进bàn gōng shì办公室，jiù就bǎ把shǒu wàn手腕shēn伸dào到tóng shì同事miàn qián面前。

On Monday morning, as soon as Xiao Chen walked into the office, he held out his wrist to his colleagues.

“nǐ你kàn看！wǒ我zuó wǎn昨晚de的shuì mián睡眠fēn shù分数zhǐ yǒu只有wǔ shí bā fēn五十八分！”

“Look! My sleep score was only 58 last night!”

tā他shuō说dé得hěn很dà shēng大声，lián连gé bì隔壁zhuō桌de的rén人dōu都zhuǎn转guò tóu过头lái来。

He spoke so loudly that even the people at the next desk turned around.

tóng shì同事wèn问tā他shì bú shì是不是zhěng wǎn整晚méi没shuì睡，xiǎo chén小陈yáo yáo tóu摇摇头：“qí shí其实shuì睡dé得hái还kě yǐ可以。kě可shǒu biǎo手表shuō说wǒ我shuì睡dé得hěn很chà差，wǒ我shì bú shì是不是gāi该qù去yī yuàn医院jiǎn chá检查yī xià一下？”

A colleague asked whether he had been unable to sleep all night. Xiao Chen shook his head. “Actually, I slept pretty well. But my watch says I slept badly. Should I go to the hospital for a checkup?”

tóng shì同事rěn bú zhù忍不住xiào笑le了：“cái才yí gè一个wǎn shàng晚上de的shù zì数字，nǐ你jiù就zhè me这么dà jīng xiǎo guài大惊小怪？xiān先bié别jí急。”

His colleague could not help laughing. “It’s just one night’s number, and you’re making such a big fuss? Don’t worry yet.”

xiǎo chén小陈bù fú qì不服气。

Xiao Chen was not convinced.

tā他mǎi买zhè这kuài块shǒu biǎo手表，jiù shì就是wèi le为了rèn zhēn认真guǎn lǐ管理shuì mián睡眠。

He had bought the watch precisely to manage his sleep seriously.

guò qù过去měi tiān每天zǎo shàng早上，tā他zhǐ shì只是xiǎng xiǎng想想zì jǐ自己yǒu méi yǒu有没有jīng shén精神；xiàn zài现在，tā他zhēng kāi睁开yǎn眼de的dì yī jiàn第一件shì事，jiù shì就是chá kàn查看fēn shù分数。

In the past, every morning he would simply think about whether he felt energetic. Now, the first thing he did after opening his eyes was check his score.

fēn shù分数gāo高，tā他xīn qíng心情bù cuò不错；fēn shù分数dī低，tā他yī zhěng tiān一整天dōu都zài在dān xīn担心。

When the score was high, he felt good; when it was low, he worried all day.

wèi le为了tí gāo提高chéng jì成绩，tā他kāi shǐ开始tí qián提前shuì jiào睡觉，bù不zài在chuáng床shàng上kàn看shǒu jī手机，hái还bǎ把wò shì卧室lǐ里de的dēng灯huàn chéng换成le了gèng更àn暗de的。

To improve his score, he started going to bed earlier, stopped looking at his phone in bed, and replaced the bedroom light with a dimmer one.

jǐ tiān几天hòu后，shǒu biǎo手表zhōng yú终于gěi给chū出le了jiǔ shí wǔ九十五fēn分。

A few days later, the watch finally gave him a score of 95.

tā他gāo xìng高兴dé得mǎ shàng马上bǎ把jié tú截图fā发jìn进péng yǒu qún朋友群。

He was so happy that he immediately sent a screenshot to his friends’ group chat.

kě可qí guài奇怪de的shì是，nà tiān那天shàng wǔ上午，tā他zài在huì yì会议shàng上yì zhí一直dǎ hā qiàn打哈欠。

Strangely, however, he kept yawning during the meeting that morning.

xiāng fǎn相反，dé得le了wǔ shí bā fēn五十八分de的nà tiān那天，tā他gōng zuò工作shí时què却hěn很yǒu有jīng shén精神。

By contrast, on the day he got a score of 58, he was full of energy at work.

xiǎo chén小陈zhè这cái才yì shí dào意识到，shǒu biǎo手表tí gōng提供de的shì是yī xiē一些cān kǎo参考xìn xī信息，bú shì不是duì对shēn tǐ身体zhuàng kuàng状况de的zuì zhōng最终pàn duàn判断。

Only then did Xiao Chen realize that the watch provided reference information, not the final judgment of his physical condition.

shù zì数字yǒu yòng有用，dàn但bù zhí dé不值得měi cì每次biàn huà变化dōu都jǐn zhāng紧张dé得bù dé le不得了。

Numbers can be useful, but there is no need to become extremely nervous every time they change.

tóng shì同事shuō说tā他“dà jīng xiǎo guài大惊小怪”，bìng并bú shì不是jué de觉得shuì mián睡眠bù不zhòng yào重要，ér shì而是tā他zhǐ只kàn dào看到yí gè一个shù zì数字，jiù就xiàng像yù dào遇到le了shén me什么dà shì大事。

When his colleague said he was “making a mountain out of a molehill,” it did not mean that sleep was unimportant. It meant that he saw only one number and reacted as if something serious had happened.

zhè ge这个cí词cháng yòng常用lái来xíng róng形容duì对xiǎo shì小事fǎn yìng反应guò dù过度，yǔ qì语气lǐ里tōng cháng通常dài带diǎn点zé guài责怪，yǒu shí有时yě也shì是péng yǒu朋友zhī jiān之间de的wán xiào玩笑。

This expression is commonly used to describe overreacting to a small matter. It usually carries a slightly critical tone, though friends sometimes use it jokingly.

dì èr tiān第二天zǎo shàng早上，xiǎo chén小陈zhào lì照例kàn看le了kàn看fēn shù分数。

The next morning, Xiao Chen checked his score as usual.

zhè这cì次zhǐ yǒu只有liù shí èr六十二fēn分。

This time, it was only 62.

tā他méi yǒu没有lì kè立刻fā发xiāo xī消息，ér shì而是fàng xià放下shǒu jī手机，xiān先wèn问zì jǐ自己：“jīn tiān今天gǎn jué感觉zěn me yàng怎么样？”

He did not immediately send a message. Instead, he put down his phone and first asked himself, “How do I feel today?”

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