捉摸不定

zhuōmō-bùdìng

idiom #31,761

Meanings

1 unpredictable
2 elusive
3 hard to pin down

Characters

to catch, to grasp

to feel, to touch

Examples

HSK 5

他的脾气捉摸不定，让人很难相处。

Tā de píqì zhuōmō-bùdìng, ràng rén hěn nán xiāngchǔ.

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

HSK 7-9

股市行情捉摸不定。

Gǔshì hángqíng zhuōmō-bùdìng.

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