忐忑

tǎntè
adjective #47,129

Meanings

  1. 1 apprehensive
  2. 2 nervous
  3. 3 on edge

Examples

HSK 4
Yào jiàn nǚpéngyou de fùmǔ le, tā xīnli yǒudiǎn tǎntè.
He's about to meet his girlfriend's parents and feels a bit nervous.
HSK 7-9
Dài zhe tǎntè de xīnqíng, tā bōtōng le nàge diànhuà hàomǎ.
Full of apprehension, he dialed the number.

Tips

memory
Both characters are a heart 心 with a direction on top: 忐 has 上 "up" and 忑 has 下 "down". A heart going up and down is an anxious one. The set phrase is 忐忑不安.

In Pop Culture

忐忑 Tǎntè
Uneasy
Wordless song by 龚琳娜, sung entirely in rapid-fire opera syllables; it became a viral internet hit in 2010.

Stroke Order

忐 tǎn
忑 tè