魂不守舍 hún bù shǒu shè distraught

Explanation

形容人精神恍惚，心不在焉的样子。

Describes someone who is absent-minded and inattentive.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，有个书生名叫李白，他勤奋好学，一心想考取功名。一天，他正埋头苦读，突然听到窗外传来一阵喧闹声。他好奇地走过去一看，原来是村里来了个算命先生，正为村民算命。李白一向不信这些虚无缥缈的东西，但看到算命先生口若悬河，滔滔不绝地说着各种预言，还是忍不住被他吸引住了。算命先生见李白来了，便热情地邀请他上前算命。李白犹豫了一下，还是答应了。算命先生掐指一算，然后神秘兮兮地说：“你命中注定要高中状元，但近期会有小人作祟，让你魂不守舍，难以集中精力读书。你要小心提防，才能顺利考取功名。”李白听了算命先生的话，心里忐忑不安，这几日读书时，总是无法集中精神，时不时地走神，好像真有什么东西在影响着他一样。他开始变得魂不守舍，整个人都焦虑不安。过了几天，他终于明白，其实所谓的“小人作祟”只不过是他自己内心的焦虑罢了。他调整心态，认真复习，最终在考试中取得好成绩，考中了状元。

huà shuō táng cháo shíqī, yǒu gè shūshēng míng jiào lǐ bái, tā qínfèn hào xué, yīxīn xiǎng kǎoqǔ gōngmíng. yī tiān, tā zhèng máitóu kǔ dú, tūrán tīngdào chuāng wài chuán lái yī zhèn xuān nàoshēng. tā háoqí de zǒu guò qù yī kàn, yuánlái shì cūn lǐ lái le gè suàn mìng xiānsheng, zhèng wèi cūnmín suàn mìng. lǐ bái yīxiàng bù xìn zhèxiē xūwú miǎo yǎo de dōngxi, dàn kàn dào suàn mìng xiānsheng kǒu ruò xuán hé, tāotāo bùjué de shuōzhe gè zhǒng yù yán, hái shì rěn bù zhù de bèi tā xīyǐn zhù le. suàn mìng xiānsheng jiàn lǐ bái lái le, biàn rèqíng de yāoqǐng tā shàng qián suàn mìng. lǐ bái yóuyù le yīxià, hái shì dāyìng le. suàn mìng xiānsheng qiā zhǐ yī suàn, ránhòu shénmì xīxī de shuō: “nǐ mìng zhōng zhùdìng yào gāozhōng zhuàngyuán, dàn jīnqī huì yǒu xiǎorén zuò cuì, ràng nǐ hún bù shǒushè, nán yǐ jízhōng jīlíng dúshū. nǐ yào xiǎoxīn tífáng, cáinéng shùnlì kǎoqǔ gōngmíng.” lǐ bái tīng le suàn mìng xiānsheng de huà, xīn lǐ tǎntè bù'ān, zhè jǐ rì dúshū shí, zǒng shì wúfǎ jízhōng jīngshén, shí bù shí shí de zǒu shén, hǎoxiàng zhēn yǒu shénme dōngxi zài yǐngxiǎngzhe tā yīyàng. tā kāishǐ biàn de hún bù shǒushè, zhěng gè rén dōu jiāolǜ bù'ān. guò le jǐ tiān, tā zhōngyú míngbái, qíshí suǒ wèi de “xiǎorén zuò cuì” zhǐ bù guò shì tā zìjǐ nèixīn de jiāolǜ bà le. tā tiáozhěng xīntài, rènzhēn fùxí, zhōngyú zài kǎoshì zhōng qǔdé hǎo chéngjī, kǎo zhōng le zhuàngyuán.

It is said that during the Tang Dynasty, there was a scholar named Li Bai, who was diligent and studious, and wanted to achieve fame and success. One day, while he was engrossed in his studies, he suddenly heard a commotion outside the window. Curious, he went to take a look and found that a fortune-teller had come to the village, predicting fortunes for the villagers. Li Bai never believed in such things, but as he saw the fortune-teller talking eloquently about various predictions, he couldn't help but be attracted to him. When the fortune-teller saw Li Bai, he enthusiastically invited him to have his fortune told. Li Bai hesitated for a moment but agreed. The fortune-teller calculated with his fingers and then said mysteriously, “You are destined to be the top scholar, but there will be troublemakers that will cause you to be absent-minded and unable to concentrate on your studies. You need to be careful so you can successfully achieve fame.” Li Bai listened to the fortune-teller's words and felt uneasy. For the next few days, he was unable to concentrate on his studies, his mind wandering constantly, as if something was really influencing him. He became absent-minded and anxious. After a few days, he finally understood that the so-called “troublemakers” were merely his own anxiety. He adjusted his mindset, studied diligently, and ultimately performed well in the exam, becoming the top scholar.

Usage

通常作谓语、状语、定语；形容精神不集中，心不在焉。

tōngcháng zuò wèiyǔ, zhuàngyǔ, dìngyǔ; xiángróng jīngshén bù jízhōng, xīn bù zàiyān.

Usually used as predicate, adverbial, or attributive; describes someone who is absent-minded and inattentive.

Examples

• 他自从妻子去世后，就一直魂不守舍。

  tā cóngzì qīzi qùshì hòu, jiù yīzhí hún bù shǒushè

  He has been distraught ever since his wife passed away.

• 考试前，他因为太过紧张，变得魂不守舍。

  kǎoshì qián, tā yīnwèi tài guò jǐnzhāng, biànde hún bù shǒushè

  Before the exam, he was distraught because he was too nervous..

Related Idioms

• 失魂落魄

• 心不在焉

Opposite Idioms

• 聚精会神

• 全神贯注