烦躁

• Pinyin: fán zào
• Hanzi breakdown: 烦 = 火 + 页 — heated irritation; 躁 = 足 (foot) + 喿 (noisy birds) — feet moving noisily, restless agitation

Meaning

Irritable and restless; agitated; fidgety. A state of combined mental annoyance and physical restlessness.

More physically active and outwardly expressed than 烦闷 (inward depression) or 烦恼 (worry). 烦躁 often manifests as an inability to sit still, snapping at others, or performing repetitive physical actions. Common in clinical descriptions of anxiety, heat discomfort, and high-stress situations.

Examples

1. 漫长的等待让候诊室里所有的患者都感到烦躁不安，孩子们开始哭闹，大人们则频繁看表或低声抱怨。 The long wait made every patient in the waiting room restless and irritable—children started crying and fussing, while adults kept checking their watches or complaining under their breath.
2. 在高温酷暑的施工现场，工人们的烦躁情绪明显加剧，安全事故的发生率也因此在每年七八月间出现明显峰值。 On construction sites in extreme summer heat, workers’ irritability noticeably increases, and the rate of safety incidents shows a clear spike in July and August.
3. 他一旦陷入烦躁的状态，就会不停地在房间里来回踱步，或是莫名其妙地将桌上的东西一一移动位置。 Once he gets agitated, he paces back and forth around the room nonstop, or inexplicably moves everything on the table one by one to different places.

Usage Guide

Context: emotions, health, work, everyday

Tone: expressive

Do Say

• 研究发现，长时间使用社交媒体会加剧青少年的烦躁情绪。(The study found that prolonged social-media use intensifies irritability among teenagers.)
• 患者近期明显烦躁、失眠、注意力涣散，需立即检查。(The patient has recently shown clear irritability, insomnia, and poor concentration, requiring immediate tests.)

Don't Say

• 烦躁平静 — 烦躁 and 平静 are antonyms and cannot describe the same state simultaneously; say 从烦躁变得平静 (became calm after being agitated) to describe a transition

Origin & History

烦 (vexed/irritated) + 躁 (restless/impetuous) — a state in which irritation causes physical agitation and inability to remain still

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal