# 七上八下

qī shàng bā xià

Feel anxious and unsettled

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Seven up and eight down

**Register:** Conversational · descriptive

[Perspective](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/perspective)

## When to use it

Describe a mind disturbed by uncertainty or worry.

Usually emotional unease, not a literal numerical arrangement.

## Understanding the expression

Upward and downward movement pulls the mind in conflicting directions. The uneven numbers make that motion feel disorderly rather than balanced. The expression usually appears with 心 or 心里 when someone awaits results, fears an error, or cannot settle down. It conveys nervous uncertainty, often before the outcome is known. It differs from disappointment after a known result and from indecision between clearly described alternatives.

## Examples

等面试结果时，我心里七上八下。

### Traditional Chinese

等面試結果時，我心裡七上八下。

děng miàn shì jié guǒ shí ， wǒ xīn lǐ qī shàng bā xià 。

I felt anxious while waiting for the interview result.

孩子迟迟没回家，她心里七上八下。

### Traditional Chinese

孩子遲遲沒回家，她心裡七上八下。

hái zi chí chí méi huí jiā ， tā xīn lǐ qī shàng bā xià 。

She felt unsettled because her child had not returned home.

发现漏填一页后，他心里七上八下。

### Traditional Chinese

發現漏填一頁後，他心裡七上八下。

fā xiàn lòu tián yí yè hòu ， tā xīn lǐ qī shàng bā xià 。

After finding a page left incomplete, he became anxious.

第一次上台，她紧张得七上八下。

### Traditional Chinese

第一次上臺，她緊張得七上八下。

dì yī cì shàng tái ， tā jǐn zhāng dé qī shàng bā xià 。

Before her first stage appearance, she was extremely nervous.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E4%B8%83%E4%B8%8A%E5%85%AB%E4%B8%8B)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=416&webMd=1&la=0)

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