捉摸不定

zhuōmōbùdìng

idiom #31,761

Meanings

1 unpredictable
2 elusive
3 hard to pin down

Characters

to catch, to grasp

to feel, to touch

Examples

他的脾气捉摸不定，让人很难相处。

Tā de píqì zhuōmōbùdìng, ràng rén hěn nán xiāngchǔ.

His temper is unpredictable, which makes him hard to get along with.

股市行情捉摸不定。

Gǔshì hángqíng zhuōmōbùdìng.

The stock market is hard to read.

Tips

history

Recorded in the Ming-dynasty novel 《水浒传》 (Water Margin), Chapter 2: '朱武、杨春两个正在寨里猜疑，捉摸不定' — Zhu Wu and Yang Chun were in the stronghold full of doubts, unable to figure things out.

usage

Often describes weather, moods, or markets — anything fluctuating. Synonym: 变幻莫测 (biànhuànmòcè). Antonym: 一成不变.

Stroke Order

捉 zhuō

摸 mō

不 bù

定 dìng