Literally "to fetch water with fifteen buckets"; used to describe feeling nervous or unsettled, with one's heart thumping up and down. Often followed by the second half of the expression, [[七上八下|七上八下|qi1 shang4 ba1 xia4]].

literally meaning "the bucket has fallen into the well"; used to describe a situation where one is unable to extricate oneself or where things have reached a point beyond help