📖 Meaning
To be listless, lethargic, and lacking in energy or enthusiasm. It describes a state where someone feels dispirited and unable to muster any interest or motivation.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Qing dynasty novel 'Dream of the Red Chamber' (红楼梦) by Cao Xueqin, specifically Chapter 25. In the scene, the maid Xiaohong hesitates to approach someone she wishes to see, and instead quietly goes to the Xiaoxiang Pavilion to fetch a watering can before returning listlessly to lie down in her room. The phrase vividly captures her dejected, unmotivated state of mind.
💡 Example Usage
他昨晚没睡好，今天一整天都无精打采的。
He didn't sleep well last night and felt listless all day today.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 无精打采
- Pinyin: wú jīng dǎ cǎi
- Literal Translation: no, spirit, lacking, interest
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4