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死脑筋 (sǐ nǎo jīn) — (figurative) a stubbornly inflexible person; someone with a one-track mind; (by extension) rigidity or closed-mindedness in thinking

Definition

A slangy, colloquial noun for someone stubbornly stuck on one way of thinking — 'one-track mind.' Strongly negative; use for people, not single ideas.

noun
(figurative) a stubbornly inflexible personsomeone with a one-track mind(by extension) rigidity or closed-mindedness in thinking

Examples

  • 死脑筋，。
    Tā zhēn shì gè sǐ nǎo jīn, zěn me quàn dōu méi yòng.
    He's really a one-track mind; no matter how you persuade him, it's useless.
  • 死脑筋，。
    Bié nà me sǐ nǎo jīn, huàn gè jiǎo dù xiǎng xiǎng.
    Don't be so inflexible; try looking at it from another angle.
  • 死脑筋。
    sǐ nǎo jīn De rén wǎng wǎng bù dǒng de biàn tōng.
    People with a one-track mind often don't know how to adapt.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

死sǐrigid
脑筋mind
脑nǎobrain筋jīnsinew
联合Coordinate

死 suggests rigid and 脑筋 refers to the mind, giving an inflexible mind.

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
歹歹dǎi
Sound part声符shēngfú
尸
尸shī死sǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

死 is built from 歹 and 尸: 歹 is the part tied to the meaning, and 尸 gives the sound.

Open 死 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 腦; 脑 is its simplified writing.

  • 匕匕bǐ
  • 巛巛chuānhair
  • 囟囟xìnhead; fontanel

In the traditional form 腦, the older part 匕 was replaced by a flesh part, while 巛 (hair) and 囟 (head; fontanel) stayed. The simplified 脑 is a later abbreviation.

Open 脑 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

筋 pairs 竹 (bamboo) with 𠛧 (peel), giving the idea of sinewy fibers from peeled bamboo.

Open 筋 →
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Personality & Traits

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