📖 Meaning
This idiom describes a state of being dizzy and lightheaded, with one's head spinning in confusion. It conveys a feeling of mental disorientation or bewilderment, as if one cannot think clearly. It is equivalent to the similar idiom 昏头昏脑.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Qing dynasty novel 'The Scholars' (儒林外史) by Wu Jingzi, specifically in the second chapter. In the original passage, a character rides a donkey back and forth between the county town and the countryside every day, rushing about until he becomes completely dizzy and disoriented. The vivid image of someone galloping on a donkey until their head spins captures the exhaustion and mental confusion brought on by relentless busyness.
💡 Example Usage
他连续加班三天三夜，累得昏头晕脑，连回家的路都快认不清了。
After working overtime for three days and nights straight, he was so exhausted and dizzy that he could barely recognize the way home.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 昏头晕脑
- Pinyin: hūn tóu yūn nǎo
- Literal Translation: dizzy, head, spinning, brain
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4