Maternal and adolescent anxiety are known to be interrelated, yet little is known about how specific symptoms influence each other over time. This study adopted a symptom-level approach to explore the dynamic, bidirectional relationship of anxiety between mothers and adolescents, focusing on gender differences. A total of 924 Chinese adolescents (58.4% girls; Mage = 15.08 years, SD = 1.83) and their mothers (Mage = 42.23 years, SD = 4.49) were participated in a two-wave longitudinal study with a six-month interval. At both time points, participants completed the questionnaires assessing for anxiety. Cross-lagged panel network (CLPN) analysis was conducted to examine the directional links between maternal and adolescent anxiety symptoms. The analysis revealed that M7 (feeling afraid) was found to negatively predict adolescent symptoms such as C1 (nervousness) and C2 (uncontrollable worry). C2 (uncontrollable worry) negatively, while C5 (restlessness) positively, predicted M4 (trouble relaxing). Additionally, C2 (uncontrollable worry) is more likely to predict subsequent symptoms while C3 (excessive worry) is more frequently activated by other symptoms. Additionally, girls exhibited different bidirectional associations with their mothers compared to boys. Worry-related symptoms in adolescents appear particularly central and may serve as effective targets for family-focused intervention.