輾轉反側

Chinese

		to toss and turn; to pass through many hands or places	to turn over in bed; to be unable to sleep
trad. (輾轉反側)		輾轉	反側
simp. (辗转反侧)		辗转	反侧

Etymology

From the Classic of Poetry:

求之不得、寤寐思服。悠哉悠哉、輾轉反側。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]

求之不得、寤寐思服。悠哉悠哉、辗转反侧。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Qiúzhībùdé, wùmèi sīfú. Yōuzāiyōuzāi, zhǎnzhuǎnfǎncè. [Pinyin]

He sought her and found her not, and waking and sleeping he thought about her. Long he thought; oh! long and anxiously; on his side, on his back, he turned, and back again.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): zhǎnzhuǎnfǎncè
(Zhuyin): ㄓㄢˇ ㄓㄨㄢˇ ㄈㄢˇ ㄘㄜˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): zin² zyun² faan² zak¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: zhǎnzhuǎnfǎncè [Phonetic: zhánzhuánfǎncè]
  - Zhuyin: ㄓㄢˇ ㄓㄨㄢˇ ㄈㄢˇ ㄘㄜˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: jhǎnjhuǎnfǎncè
  - Wade–Giles: chan³-chuan³-fan³-tsʻê⁴
  - Yale: jǎn-jwǎn-fǎn-tsè
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jaanjoanfaantseh
  - Palladius: чжаньчжуаньфаньцэ (čžanʹčžuanʹfanʹcɛ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂän²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂwän²¹⁴⁻³⁵ fän²¹⁴⁻²¹¹ t͡sʰɤ⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: zin² zyun² faan² zak¹
  - Yale: jín jyún fáan jāk
  - Cantonese Pinyin: dzin² dzyn² faan² dzak⁷
  - Guangdong Romanization: jin² jun² fan² zeg¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siːn³⁵ t͡ʃyːn³⁵ faːn³⁵ t͡sɐk̚⁵/

Idiom

輾轉反側

to toss and turn in bed as one has something on one's mind