动不动

• Pinyin: dòng bu dòng
• Hanzi breakdown: 动 = 云 + 力 (to move/act); 不 = negation particle; 动 repeated = indicating habitual, hair-trigger behaviour

Meaning

At the slightest provocation; without good reason; always (doing something excessive or negative). Describes habitual, impulsive, or easily triggered behaviour.

Almost always carries a critical or disapproving tone. It implies that someone reacts too quickly or too frequently to minor stimuli — getting angry too easily, crying too readily, or making threats impulsively. Common in colloquial speech as gentle criticism of someone's overreactions.

Examples

1. 他动不动就发脾气，同事们都不敢轻易跟他说话。 He loses his temper at the drop of a hat, and his coworkers don’t dare talk to him casually.
2. 这孩子动不动就哭鼻子，让家长十分头疼。 This kid bursts into tears over the smallest thing, which gives the parents a real headache.
3. 一遇到困难，他动不动就打退堂鼓，缺乏坚持的勇气。 Whenever he runs into difficulties, he backs down at the slightest provocation and lacks the courage to persevere.

Usage Guide

Context: behaviour, criticism, personality, colloquial

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 他动不动就以辞职相威胁，时间一长，领导也不再认真对待了。(He always threatens to quit at the slightest thing, and after a while, management no longer took it seriously.)
• 青少年动不动就沉迷手机，家长需要适当引导而非一味指责。(Teenagers are always getting absorbed in their phones at the slightest opportunity; parents need to guide them appropriately rather than simply criticising.)

Don't Say

• 他动不动地努力工作 — 动不动 has a fixed idiomatic meaning of habitual impulsive or excessive behaviour; it cannot be used positively or neutrally as a general adverb

Origin & History

动 (to move/act) + 不动 (not moving) — the paradoxical pairing means 'at every slight movement', i.e. at the slightest provocation

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal