Definition
出神 (chū shén) means 'to be lost in thought' or 'to daydream' — your mind is actively wandering or absorbed, not blank. Unlike 发呆 (fā dāi 'stare blankly'), you are thinking about something; unlike 着迷 (zháo mí 'be fascinated'), you are not necessarily captivated by an external thing. 出神 is a separable verb (离合词): 出了神, 出着神.
verb
lost in thoughtspellbounddaydreaming
Easily confused
- 出身chū shēnsound-alike(verb) to come from (a family background); to be born into
Examples
- 出神。Tā shàngkè de shíhou yòu chū shén le.He spaced out in class again.
- 出神，。Tā kànzhe chuāngwài chū shén, lián wǒ jiào tā dōu méi tīngjiàn.She stared out the window lost in thought, and didn't even hear me call her.
- ，。Tā kàn shū kàn de chū shén le, wánquán wàngjì shíjiān.He was so absorbed in reading that he lost track of time.
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