📖 Meaning
Means feeling dizzy and muddled, with a heavy and foggy head. It is equivalent to the idiom 头昏脑胀. It describes a state of mental confusion, often caused by fatigue, illness, or overwhelming information.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase first appears in a sanqu (散套) suite titled '斗鹌鹑·题情' by the Yuan dynasty writer Zhao Mingdao, in the line '困腾腾头昏脑闷' (drowsy and dizzy, head muddled). It was later used by the Qing dynasty novelist Liu E in chapter 10 of '老残游记' (The Travels of Lao Can), where the narrator describes feeling dizzy and confused upon hearing Buddhist sutras chanted as empty platitudes. The idiom has since been used to convey a state of mental befuddlement or lightheadedness.
💡 Example Usage
连续加班三天，他感到头昏脑闷，连话都说不利索。
After working overtime for three days straight, he felt dizzy and muddled, barely able to string a sentence together.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 头昏脑闷
- Pinyin: tóu hūn nǎo mèn
- Literal Translation: head, dizzy, brain, stifled
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4