Tā yù shì jiù jiāolǜ bù'ān, zhēn yìng le xiǎorén cháng qīqī nà jù huà.
He frets at every little thing — truly fitting the saying 'the petty man is always anxious.'
Tips
history
From 《论语·述而》(Analects of Confucius, book 7): 子曰：君子坦荡荡，小人长(常)戚戚 (The Master said: The gentleman is calm and at ease; the petty man is always anxious and worried). One of Confucius's most cited character contrasts, shaping two millennia of Chinese moral vocabulary.
usage
Always quoted as the pair 君子坦荡荡，小人长戚戚 — the two halves form a chiastic contrast. Some editions write 长戚戚 rather than 常戚戚; meanings are the same (long/always). 戚戚 = sorrowful / uneasy (reduplication).
