开小差 (kāi xiǎo chāi) — (military) to desert one's post or unit; to be absentminded, to daydream, to have one's mind wander
Definition
An idiomatic verb meaning to daydream or zone out — the most common sense, as in 上课别开小差. The literal military sense ('desert one's post') is rare today and mostly historical.
verb
(military) to desert one's post or unitto be absentmindedto daydreamto have one's mind wander
Examples
- 开小差。Shàng kè bié kāi xiǎo chāi.Don't daydream in class.
- 。Tā gōng zuò de shí hou jīng cháng kāi xiǎo chāi.He often zones out at work.
- ，。Wǒ gāng cái kāi le bàn xiǎo shí xiǎo chā, méi tīng qīng lǎo shī jiǎng shén me.I was daydreaming for half an hour just now and didn't hear what the teacher said.
Appears in
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