“ 人们心里都没底了 ” can anyone explain this?

[大志 DAZ]

“ 人们心里都没底了 ” can anyone explain this? people's hearts have no bottom? I have heard that it can mean these people are nervous but google translator says it means they have no idea.

It is from Graded Chinese Reader 500 words  story 2 - 等待天鹅

Thanks everyone, I am new here so I hope I posted in the correct place

[889]

To quote Pleco -- a useful tool on your phone -- 没底 is an expression meaning "not sure, have no confidence in." The example there is "能不能赢，我心里没底。 I'm not sure whether I can win or not."

 

A search on this forum also produces results sometimes.

 

https://www.chinese-forums.com/forums/topic/58684-is-this-where-i-can-ask-for-the-meaning-of-an-idiom/?tab=comments#comment-456282

[Jim]

I see at the link people are querying the English "to have bottom"; I was aware of it having that meaning though it really is dated or defunct now, think Edwardian novels would be about the last time it was current usage.

[If_IwasaLinguist]

心里有底 is a Chinese idiom and literally means there is some ground in your heart.

 

I have searched it in the idiom dictionary and it shows 底 in this idiom refers to 底细 (details) or 内情 (inside information), instead of 底部 (bottom). Thus, this idiom can be explained as if you know the details or inside information of something, you will be more confident. In this way, when 心里没底了 is used, it represents that the speaker has no confidence in completing the following something.