杞人之忧

Traditional form:

杞人之憂

Pinyin (reading):

Qǐrénzhīyōu

Definitions:

• lit. the fear held by a man of 杞 ( Qǐ) that the sky would fall (idiom)
• fig. groundless fears

Characters:

• 杞 - willow, medlar tree; a small feudal state
• 人 - man, person; people
• 之 - marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; to go to
• 忧 - sad, grieving; melancholy, grief

Traditional characters:

• 杞 - willow, medlar tree; a small feudal state
• 人 - man, person; people
• 之 - marks preceding phrase as modifier of following phrase; it, him her, them; to go to
• 憂 - sad, grieving; melancholy, grief