芒刺在背 máng cì zài bèi

uneasy and nervous; to be on pins and needles

Word data

HSK Not in HSK
Frequency 44083rd word

Definitions

  1. 1. uneasy and nervous
  2. 2. to be on pins and needles
  3. 3. feeling brambles and thorns in one's back (idiom)

Characters

Character Meaning
芒 máng HSK 6
tip (of a blade); awn (of cereals); arista (of grain)
刺 cì HSK 5
to prick; to pierce; to stab
在 zài HSK 1
(located) at; (to be) in
背 bèi HSK 5
the back of a body or object; to learn by heart