動不動

See also: 动不动

Chinese

		to move; to change; to use to move; to change; to use; to act	not; no	to move; to change; to use to move; to change; to use; to act
trad. (動不動)		動	不	動
simp. (动不动)		动	不	动

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): dòngbùdòng

(Zhuyin): ㄉㄨㄥˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄨㄥˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): dung⁶ bat¹ dung⁶
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): tǒng-put-tǒng / tōng-put-tōng / tāng-put-tāng

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: dòngbùdòng [Phonetic: dòngbúdòng]
  - Zhuyin: ㄉㄨㄥˋ ㄅㄨˋ ㄉㄨㄥˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: dòngbùdòng
  - Wade–Giles: tung⁴-pu⁴-tung⁴
  - Yale: dùng-bù-dùng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: donqbudonq
  - Palladius: дунбудун (dunbudun)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʊŋ⁵¹ pu⁵¹⁻³⁵ tʊŋ⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: dung⁶ bat¹ dung⁶
  - Yale: duhng bāt duhng
  - Cantonese Pinyin: dung⁶ bat⁷ dung⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: dung⁶ bed¹ dung⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʊŋ²² pɐt̚⁵ tʊŋ²²/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tǒng-put-tǒng
  - Tâi-lô: tǒng-put-tǒng
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /tɔŋ²² put̚⁵⁻²⁴ tɔŋ²²/
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tōng-put-tōng
  - Tâi-lô: tōng-put-tōng
  - Phofsit Daibuun: doxngputdong
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /tɔŋ³³⁻²¹ put̚³²⁻⁴ tɔŋ³³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /tɔŋ²²⁻²¹ put̚³²⁻⁵ tɔŋ²²/
  - IPA (Xiamen): /tɔŋ²²⁻²¹ put̚³²⁻⁴ tɔŋ²²/
  - IPA (Taipei): /tɔŋ³³⁻¹¹ put̚³²⁻⁴ tɔŋ³³/
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tāng-put-tāng
  - Tâi-lô: tāng-put-tāng
  - Phofsit Daibuun: daxngputdang
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /taŋ³³⁻²¹ put̚³²⁻⁴ taŋ³³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /taŋ³³⁻¹¹ put̚³²⁻⁴ taŋ³³/

Adverb

動不動

(usually of something undesirable) often; frequently; happening easily
- 又自己不來，遣幾個粗夯小廝，動不動大呼小叫，鬧的王冕不得安穩。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
  又自己不来，遣几个粗夯小厮，动不动大呼小叫，闹的王冕不得安稳。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]
  From: Wu Jingzi, The Scholars, 1750 CE
  Yòu zìjǐ bùlái, qiǎn jǐge cūhāng xiǎosī, dòngbùdòng dàhūxiǎojiào, nào de Wáng Miǎn bùdé ānwěn. [Pinyin]
  He didn't come himself, but sent a few rough servants to come, who keep shouting and making noises, making Wang Mian feel uneasy.
- 你們這般年輕人，總是拜服外國，動不動讚他好。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, trad.]
  你们这般年轻人，总是拜服外国，动不动赞他好。 [Written Vernacular Chinese, simp.]
  From: 《文明小史》第三○回
  Nǐmen zhèbān niánqīngrén, zǒngshì bàifú wàiguó, dòngbùdòng zàn tā hǎo. [Pinyin]
  Young people like you always admire foreign countries and praise them all the time.

Usage notes

Usually followed by 就 (jiù).

Synonyms

(obsolete) 行動／行动 (xíngdòng)
(Hokkien) 磕著／磕着, 磕而著／磕而着, 磕敉著／磕敉着, 動著／动着, 動起著／动起着, 磕𣍐著／磕𫧃著

References

Institute of Linguistics, CASS, editor (2016), “动不动”, in 现代汉语词典 [Xiandai Hanyu Cidian], seventh edition, Beijing: The Commercial Press, →ISBN.
“動不動”, in 重編國語辭典修訂本 [Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary] (in Chinese), National Academy for Educational Research (Taiwan), 2021.