Many Chinese learners have reached a high level of Chinese, but they still sound a bit like robots. Why? That's because certain colloquial words that add tone and emotion are rarely found in textbooks.

Today I wanted to introduce a group of words we use when we are annoyed by how frequently something happens. They all show a much stronger impatience than just saying "总是 zǒng shì, always".

动不动 dòng bu dòng, literally means: "Move or not move"

It suggests the person or thing is overly sensitive or reactive, meaning "at the slightest thing, something happens."

• 他动不动就生气，真是受不了。Tā dòng bu dòng jiù shēng qì, zhēn shì shòu bu liǎo.
  • He gets angry at the drop of a hat, it's really unbearable.
• 我妈动不动就让我相亲，烦死了。Wǒ mā dòng bu dòng jiù ràng wǒ xiāng qīn, fán sǐ le.
  • My mom keeps trying to set me up on blind dates for no reason, it's so annoying.
• 这个 App 动不动就闪退，我真想卸载了它。Zhè gè App dòng bu dòng jiù shǎn tuì, wǒ zhēn xiǎng xiè zài le tā.
  • This app crashes at the drop of a hat, I really want to uninstall it.

三天两头 sān tiān liǎng tóu, literally means: "Three days, two ends"

This expression means something happens very frequently, almost every few days. It emphasizes a repetitive, annoying pattern. There's a sense of "here we go again" built into it.

• 他三天两头请假，工作都甩给我们干了。Tā sān tiān liǎng tóu qǐng jià, gōng zuò dōu shuǎi gěi wǒ men gàn le.
  • He takes days off every few days and dumps all his work on us.
• 这栋楼三天两头停水，我下个月就搬走！Zhè dòng lóu sān tiān liǎng tóu tíng shuǐ, wǒ xià gè yuè jiù bān zǒu!
  • This building's water gets cut off every few days, I'm moving out next month!
• 她三天两头换微信名，我都快找不到她了。Tā sān tiān liǎng tóu huàn wēi xìn míng, wǒ dōu kuài zhǎo bu dào tā le.
  • She changes her WeChat name every few days, I can barely find her anymore.

隔三差五 gé sān chà wǔ, means: "Every three or five days"

Very similar to 三天两头, but slightly less frequent. It means something happens regularly with short intervals in between, maybe every few days or once a week.

• 他出什么事了？怎么隔三差五就来借钱。Tā chū shén me shì le? Zěn me gé sān chà wǔ jiù lái jiè qián.
  • What happened to him? Why does he come to borrow money every few days?
• 千万别右拐，那条路隔三差五就堵车。Qiān wàn bié yòu guǎi, nà tiáo lù gé sān chà wǔ jiù dǔ chē.
  • Don't turn right whatever you do, that road has traffic jams every few days.
• 救命啊！我奶奶隔三差五给我打电话催婚。Jiù mìng a! Wǒ nǎi nai gé sān chà wǔ gěi wǒ dǎ diàn huà cuī hūn.
  • Help! My grandma calls me every few days pressuring me to get married.

有事没事 yǒu shì méi shì, literally means: "Have matter or not"

This means someone does something constantly, regardless of whether there's a real reason or not. It emphasizes unnecessary or excessive behavior.

• 别有事没事就刷手机，对眼睛不好。Bié yǒu shì méi shì jiù shuā shǒu jī, duì yǎn jīng bù hǎo.
  • Don't constantly scroll on your phone for no reason, it's bad for your eyes.
• 他有事没事就打听别人工资，好没边界感！Tā yǒu shì méi shì jiù dǎ tīng bié rén gōng zī, hǎo méi biān jiè gǎn!
  • He constantly asks about other people's salaries for no reason, he has no sense of boundaries!
• 我这几天很忙，别有事没事就约我喝酒，OK？Wǒ zhè jǐ tiān hěn máng, bié yǒu shì méi shì jiù yuē wǒ hē jiǔ, OK?
  • I'm really busy these days, don't constantly ask me out for drinks, OK?

You might have noticed that in many examples, these expressions are followed by 就 (jiù). This is a common pairing. If you had to translate it, you could think of it as "straightaway" or "as a result", but in reality its main function here is to intensify the tone.

Got it? Now try using them in real life!