Chinese Idiom: 杞人忧天 (Qi Ren You Tian)
English Translation: The man from Qi worries about the sky
pīn yīn: qǐ rén yōu tiān
Idiom Meaning: This idiom refers to unnecessary or unfounded worries.
Historical Source: The idiom originates from the text Liezi: Tian Rui (列子 ·天瑞).
Idiom Story:
In ancient times, there was a man from the state of Qi, located in what is now Henan Province, who was perpetually worried that the sky would fall and the earth would collapse, leaving him nowhere to go. His anxiety consumed him; he couldn’t sit still, couldn’t stand comfortably, and was afraid to sleep or eat.
Seeing his distress, a friend decided to intervene and explained, “The sky is just a massive collection of air. You live and move in this atmosphere every day; why worry that it will collapse?”
However, this explanation only heightened the man’s fear. He replied, “If the sky won’t fall, what about the sun, moon, and stars? Won’t they all come crashing down?”
The friend reassured him, saying, “The sun and moon are merely luminous bodies formed from the same atmosphere. Even if they were to fall, they wouldn’t harm you.”
After pondering his friend’s words, the man started to feel somewhat relieved but still had concerns. He asked, “What if the earth collapses?”
His friend explained again, “The earth is just a thick layer of soil and stone. Look around; there’s solid ground everywhere. You walk on it daily; why fear that it will give way?”
Finally, the man accepted that the earth would not collapse and began to relax.
Though the worries of the Qi man seem absurd, and the friend’s explanations lack scientific reasoning, the story carries an important lesson about the futility of unnecessary worry. The Tang dynasty poet Li Bai referenced this fable in his poem Liang Fu Yin, writing, “The state of Qi has no worries about the sky falling.” Over time, this phrase was simplified to the idiom “杞人忧天,” symbolizing the tendency to fret over baseless fears.
