📖 Meaning
To be in a daze with one's mind wandering and unable to concentrate. It describes a state where one's thoughts are scattered and mental focus is lost, often due to worry, fatigue, or emotional distress. The phrase conveys a sense of being mentally absent or unfocused.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the Yuan dynasty playwright Yang Xianzhi's work 'Xiaoxiang Yu' (Rain on the Xiang River), specifically the fourth act. In the play, a character describes being troubled and unable to settle his mind, leading to vivid dreams of reuniting with lost family members. The line mentions that one reason is an unfulfilled heart, and another is being in a state of shen si huang hu — a dazed and distracted mind. The idiom has since been used to describe anyone whose thoughts are scattered and whose attention cannot be gathered.
💡 Example Usage
自从母亲去世后，他整日神思恍惚，连饭都忘了吃。
Since his mother passed away, he has been in a daze all day, even forgetting to eat.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 神思恍惚
- Pinyin: shén sī huǎng hū
- Literal Translation: spirit, thought, absent, confused
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4