大惊小怪

大驚小怪

dàjīng-xiǎoguài

idiom HSK 7-9 #7,206

Meanings

1 to make a fuss about nothing
2 to be alarmed over trifles

Characters

startled; alarmed

Examples

这有什么好大惊小怪的？

Zhè yǒu shénme hǎo dàjīngxiǎoguài de?

What’s there to make a fuss about?

别大惊小怪的，这很正常。

Bié dàjīngxiǎoguài de, zhè hěn zhèngcháng.

Don’t make a big deal out of it, it’s perfectly normal.

Tips

memory

大惊 (big alarm) + 小怪 (small oddity) — getting greatly alarmed over something only slightly strange. The mismatch between 大 and 小 captures the overreaction.

Stroke Order

大 dà

惊 jīng

小 xiǎo

怪 guài