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热锅上的蚂蚁

熱鍋上的螞蟻
règuōshàngdemǎyǐ
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 ants on a hot pan
  2. 2 extremely anxious and unable to sit still
  3. 3 on pins and needles

Examples

等消息的时候，他像热锅上的蚂蚁。
Děng xiāoxi de shíhòu, tā xiàng règuōshàngdemǎyǐ.
Waiting for news, he was like an ant on a hot pan.
女儿还没回家，妈妈急得像热锅上的蚂蚁。
Nǚ'ér hái méi huí jiā, māma jí de xiàng règuōshàngdemǎyǐ.
Her daughter wasn't home yet and she was frantic with worry.

Tips

history
From Qing satire 《官场现形记》 chapter 2: Zhao Wen 同热锅上的蚂蚁一般，茶饭无心，坐立不定 — 'like an ant on a hot pan, unable to eat, unable to sit still'.
usage
Almost always used with 像 (xiàng, 'like') or 好似 (hǎosì). Classic simile for anxious waiting.

Stroke Order

热 rè
锅 guō
上 shàng
的 de
蚂 mǎ
蚁 yǐ