不動聲色

See also: 不动声色

Chinese

not; no
to move; to change; to use
to move; to change; to use; to act
 
 voice and countenance
trad. (不動聲色) 不 動 聲色
simp. (不动声色) 不 动 声色

Etymology

First attested in 1065, in Ouyang Xiu's Account of the Zhoujin Hall in Xiangzhou Prefecture:

至於臨大事，決大議，垂紳正笏，不動聲色，而措天下於泰山之安，可謂社稷之臣矣！ [Literary Chinese, trad.]
至于临大事，决大议，垂绅正笏，不动声色，而措天下于泰山之安，可谓社稷之臣矣！ [Literary Chinese, simp.]
From: 1065, 歐陽脩,《相州晝錦堂記》
Zhìyú lín dàshì, jué dàyì, chuí shēn zhèng hù, bù dòng shēngsè, ér cuò tiānxià yú Tàishān zhī ān, kěwèi shèjì zhī chén yǐ! [Pinyin]
Whenever emergencies arose, or decisions of grave consequences were to be made, he would straighten up his collar and adjust his official badge, his countenance and voice never changing the least, and ensure that the country would be as secure as Mount Tai. He was indeed the minister on whom the whole country's security rested!

Pronunciation

Idiom

不動聲色

  1. to maintain one's composure; to stay calm and collected; to not turn a hair; to not bat an eyelid; to not show or betray one's feelings or intentions

Synonyms

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