# 杞人憂天
## Chinese

| | | (willow); name of a feudal state | man; person; people | worried | day; sky; heaven |
| trad. (杞人憂天) | trad. (杞人憂天) | 杞 | 人 | 憂 | 天 |
| simp. (杞人忧天) | simp. (杞人忧天) | 杞 | 人 | 忧 | 天 |
| Literally: “the man of Qi fear that the sky might fall”. ||||||

### Etymology

From a story in Liezi, early first millennium, "Heaven's Gifts", adapted from the translation by A. C. Graham:
    From: Liezi, 1st – 5th century CE
    Qǐ guó yǒu rén, yōu tiāndì bēngzhuì, shēn wáng suǒ jì, fèi qǐnshí zhě. Yòu yǒu yōu bǐ zhī suǒ yōu zhě, yīn wǎng xiǎo zhī, yuē: “Tiān, jīqì ěr, wáng chù wáng qì. Ruò qūshēn hūxī, zhōngrì zài tiān zhōng xíngzhǐ, nàihé yōu bēngzhuì hū?” Qí rén yuē: “Tiān guǒ jīqì, rìyuè xīngsù bùdāng zhuì xié?” Xiǎo zhī zhě yuē: “Rìyuè xīngsù, yì jīqì zhōng zhī yǒu guāngyào zhě, zhǐ shǐ zhuì, yì bùnéng yǒu suǒ zhōngshāng.” Qí rén yuē: “Nài dì huài hé?” Xiǎo zhě yuē: “Dì jīkuài ěr, chōngsài sì xū, wáng chù wáng kuài. Ruò chú bù cīdǎo, zhōngrì zài dìshàng xíngzhǐ, nàihé yōu qí huài?” Qí rén shèrán dàxǐ, xiǎo zhī zhě yì shèrán dàxǐ. [Pinyin]
    There was a man of Qi country who was so worried that heaven and earth might fall down, and his body would have nowhere to lodge, that he forgot to eat and sleep. There was another man who was worried that he should be so worried about it, and therefore went to enlighten him, saying, "Heaven is nothing but the accumulated air; there is no place where there is not air. You walk and stand all day inside heaven, stretching and bending, breathing in and breathing out; why should you worry about it falling down?" The man said, "If heaven really is accumulated air, shouldn't the sun and moon and stars fall down?" The man who sought to enlighten him said, "The sun and moon and stars are air which shines inside the accumulated air. Even if they did fall down, they couldn't hit or harm anyone." The man said, "What about the earth giving way?" The man who sought to enlighten him said, "The earth is nothing but accumulated soil, filling the void in all four directions; there is no place where there is not soil. You walk and stand all day on the earth, stamping about with abrupt spurts and halts; why should you worry about it giving way?" The man was satisfied and greatly cheered; and so was the man who enlightened him.

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): qǐrényōutiān
    (Zhuyin): ㄑㄧˇ ㄖㄣˊ ㄧㄡ ㄊㄧㄢ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): gei$^2$ jan$^4$ jau$^1$ tin$^1$
* Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): kí-jîn-iu-thian
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: qǐrényōutiān
*** Zhuyin: ㄑㄧˇ ㄖㄣˊ ㄧㄡ ㄊㄧㄢ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: cǐrényoutian
*** Wade–Giles: chʻi$^3$-jên$^2$-yu$^1$-tʻien$^1$
*** Yale: chǐ-rén-yōu-tyān
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chiirenioutian
*** Palladius: цижэньютянь (cižɛnʹjutjanʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡ɕʰi²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐən³⁵ joʊ̯⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: gei$^2$ jan$^4$ jau$^1$ tin$^1$
*** Yale: géi yàhn yāu tīn
*** Cantonese Pinyin: gei$^2$ jan$^4$ jau$^1$ tin$^1$
*** Guangdong Romanization: géi$^2$ yen$^4$ yeo$^1$ tin$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /kei̯³⁵ jɐn²¹ jɐu̯⁵⁵ tʰiːn⁵⁵/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kí-jîn-iu-thian
*** Tâi-lô: kí-jîn-iu-thian
*** Phofsit Daibuun: kyjin'iu'tiefn
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /ki⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ zin²³⁻³³ iu⁴⁴⁻³³ tʰiɛn⁴⁴/

### Idiom

杞人憂天
* to have groundless fears

#### Descendants

* → Korean: 기인우천(杞人憂天) (giinucheon)
→ Japanese: 杞憂