Definition
白日做梦 is a four-character idiom (chengyu) that literally means 'to dream in broad daylight'. It describes someone indulging in unrealistic or impossible fantasies — equivalent to 'daydreaming' or 'wishful thinking' in English. Unlike the English 'daydream', which can be neutral or even pleasant, 白日做梦 always carries a critical or dismissive tone, implying the fantasy is completely unrealistic. You can use it as a predicate (他在白日做梦) or as a standalone exclamation (白日做梦！).
f.e.
to daydreamto indulge in wishful thinking (with a critical tone, implying impossibility)
Examples
- ，白日做梦。Tā xiǎng yí yè bào fù, jiǎnzhí shì bái rì zuò mèng.He wants to get rich overnight — that's pure daydreaming.
- ，白日做梦？Bù nǔlì jiù xiǎng chénggōng, nà bú shì bái rì zuò mèng ma?Wanting to succeed without working hard — isn't that wishful thinking?
- 白日做梦！。bái rì zuò mèng! Zhè jiàn shì gēnběn bù kěnéng.Daydreaming! This is completely impossible.
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