ceon2 ceon2 juk6 dung6蠢蠢欲動蠢蠢欲动
Definition
To be ready to start wriggling; also used figuratively to describe being poised to make trouble.
- ready to start wriggling
- figurativepoised to make trouble or create a disturbance
How it's used
Originally describing physical movement like insects, this idiom is now almost exclusively used metaphorically to describe someone who is eager or tempted to take action. It often carries a slightly negative or mischievous connotation, suggesting that the person is plotting something or cannot wait to jump into a situation. It is frequently used when someone is about to break a rule or start a project they have been contemplating.
Examples
Related words
Common phrases
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a literal description of movement, but it is rarely used for actual physical wriggling in modern speech. Using it to describe a literal worm or insect will sound overly dramatic or literary to native speakers.
Grammar color guide
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
