动弹

• Pinyin: dòng tan
• Hanzi breakdown: 动 = 云 + 力 (to move); 弹 = 弓 + 单 (to spring/flick — from a bow releasing an arrow)

Meaning

To move; to budge; to stir. Most commonly used in negative constructions to indicate being unable to move due to physical constraint, injury, exhaustion, or crowding.

The most frequent usage is 动弹不得 or 无法动弹 (unable to move at all). Used for physical immobility — injured, trapped, stuck in a crowd, or paralysed. The word has a slightly literary or expressive quality that makes it more vivid than plain 动.

Examples

1. 地震过后，他被压在废墟之下，无法动弹，只能大声呼救。 After the earthquake, he was trapped under the rubble and couldn’t move, so he could only shout for help.
2. 高峰期地铁车厢里人满为患，乘客们被挤得几乎动弹不了。 During rush hour, the subway car is packed, and passengers are squeezed so tightly they can barely move.
3. 手术后的最初几天，她躺在病床上几乎动弹不得，需要护士全程协助。 In the first few days after surgery, she could hardly move in bed and needed the nurse’s full assistance.

Usage Guide

Context: physical state, injury, crowded spaces, narrative

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 他被困在电梯里整整三个小时，由于空间极度狭小，几乎无法动弹。(He was trapped in the elevator for three full hours; with the extremely confined space, he could barely move.)
• 膝盖受伤后，她连下床都动弹不了，医生叮嘱她至少卧床静养两周。(After injuring her knee, she couldn't even get out of bed; the doctor told her to rest in bed for at least two weeks.)

Don't Say

• 他动弹了他的手指 — use 他动了动手指 for a small deliberate movement; 动弹 is typically intransitive and does not take a direct object

Origin & History

动 (to move) + 弹 (to spring/flick) — a slight or spontaneous physical movement

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal