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如痴如醉 (rú chī-rú zuì) — to be completely captivated; mesmerized; enraptured

Definition

Literary idiom meaning completely absorbed or mesmerized by something (a performance, book, music). Use it for deep emotional captivation, not casual interest.

phrase
to be completely captivatedmesmerizedenraptured

Examples

  • 如痴如醉。
    Tā tīng nà shǒu gāng qín qǔ tīng dé rú chī-rú zuì.
    He listened to that piano piece, completely mesmerized.
  • 如痴如醉。
    Guān zhòng bèi tā de mó shù biǎo yǎn mí dé rú chī-rú zuì.
    The audience was captivated by his magic show.
  • 如痴如醉，。
    Tā dú zhè běn xiǎo shuō dú dé rú chī-rú zuì, lián fàn dōu wàng le chī.
    She was so absorbed in reading this novel that she even forgot to eat.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

如痴like infatuated
如rúlike痴chīinfatuated
动宾Verb + object
如醉like drunk
如rúlike醉zuìdrunk
动宾Verb + object

The two halves 如痴 and 如醉 compare the state to 痴 infatuated and 醉 drunk, giving the sense of being completely captivated.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ如rú
Same sound today

如 is built from 口 (mouth) for its meaning and 女 (woman) for its sound.

Open 如 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 痴 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ如rú
Same sound today

如 is built from 口 (mouth) for its meaning and 女 (woman) for its sound.

Open 如 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
酉酉yǒualcoholic drink
Sound part声符shēngfú
卒
卒zú醉zuì
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

醉 combines 酉, a sign for alcoholic drink, with 卒, which supplies the sound.

Open 醉 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Emotions & FeelingsIdioms & Set Phrases

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.