大惊小怪
- Literal
- great alarm, small oddity
- Figurative
- To make a fuss over nothing; to react far more dramatically than the situation actually calls for.
Where does 大惊小怪 come from?
There's no story behind it: it's a colloquial set phrase built on the contrast between 大 ("big") and 小 ("small"), with 惊 ("to be alarmed") and 怪 ("to find strange"). The point is the mismatch: the reaction is big and the cause is small. That's why it usually carries a note of mild reproach, and you hear it most often with 别 or 用不着, telling someone to calm down. It also works on yourself, half in jest.
How is 大惊小怪 used? Two examples
- 不过是下点小雨，别大惊小怪的。
It's just a bit of drizzle, don't make such a fuss.
- 孩子摔一跤很正常，你别大惊小怪。
Kids take a tumble, it's normal, don't get worked up over it.
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