头晕眼花 (tóu yūn yǎn huā) — dizzy and disoriented, with head spinning and e…

Definition

A vivid chengyu for feeling dizzy with blurred vision — from illness, exhaustion, or strong emotion. A more literary, four-character alternative to 头晕.

idiom

dizzy and disoriented, with head spinning and eyesight blurred

Examples

，头晕眼花。
Tā shēng bìng le, zhěng tiān tóu yūn yǎn huā.
He's sick and has been dizzy and blurry-eyed all day.
，头晕眼花。
Wǒ gōng zuò tài lèi le, yǐ jīng tóu yūn yǎn huā le.
I'm too tired from work and already feeling dizzy and disoriented.
，头晕眼花。
Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, tā qì dé tóu yūn yǎn huā.
Hearing this news, she was so angry she felt dizzy and saw stars.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

头晕head spinning

头tóuhead晕yūndizzy

主谓Subject + predicate

眼花eyes blurred

眼yǎneye花huāblurred

主谓Subject + predicate

头晕 and 眼花 together describe head spinning and eyes blurring, giving a dizzy feeling.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

豆頁頭

Meaning part形符xíngfú

頁頁yèhead

Sound part声符shēngfú

豆

豆dòu頭tóu

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

Open 头 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 暈; 晕 is its simplified writing.

日軍暈

Meaning part形符xíngfú

日日rìSun

Sound part声符shēngfú

軍

軍jūn暈yùn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 暈 first drew 日 (the sun) ringed by lines for a halo, and later paired 日 with the sound part 軍. The simplified 晕 is a later abbreviation.

Open 晕 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

目艮眼

Meaning part形符xíngfú

目目mùeye

Sound part声符shēngfú

艮

艮gèn眼yǎn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

眼 combines 目, which is an eye, with 艮, which gives the character's sound.

Open 眼 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.