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提心吊膽

简提心吊胆 · 繁提心吊膽

Mandarin · pinyin tí xīn diào dǎn

(idiom) nervous; fearful; on edge

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Characters in this entry

提: tí · hold in hand; lift in hand
心: xīn · heart; mind, intelligence; soul; 5th lunar mansion, determinative star α Scorpii (Antares)
吊: diào · condole, mourn, pity; hang
膽: Look up this written character
胆: dǎn · gall bladder; bravery, courage

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

2–1–4–3 · ti2 xin1 diao4 dan3

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

提心吊膽 · find source passages ↗ · 提心吊胆 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

tai4 sam1 diu3 daam2

Cantonese word readings for 提心吊膽. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to be on tenterhooks; to be scared or jittery; to be in constant fear

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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