📖 Meaning
Describes being in a dazed, befuddled state, as if intoxicated or dreaming and unable to think clearly. It conveys a loss of mental clarity and awareness of one's surroundings.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Song dynasty scholar Zhu Xi's letter 'Reply to Lü Ziyue' (答吕子约). In the letter, Zhu Xi mentions that his elder brother's petition had already been submitted to the authorities, but the people involved were so muddled—'like drunk, like a dream'—that they could not even manage affairs right in front of them, let alone be expected to handle anything greater. The expression thus characterizes a state of mental confusion and incapacity.
💡 Example Usage
他整日如醉如梦，连身边最亲近的人也认不出来。
He spent his days in a daze, like drunk and dreaming, unable to recognize even those closest to him.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 如醉如梦
- Pinyin: rú zuì rú mèng
- Literal Translation: like, drunk, like, dream
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4