着迷 (zháo mí) — to be fascinated, to be captivated

Definition

着迷 (zhao mí) means to be fascinated or captivated by something — a neutral, everyday word for being drawn in by a hobby, movie, or person. Less intense than 痴迷 (obsessed) or 迷恋 (infatuated), and lacks the negative/addictive tone of 沉迷.

verb
to be fascinatedto be captivated

Examples

  • 。
    Tā duì diàn nǎo yóu xì zhe le mí.
    He became fascinated with computer games.
  • 着迷。
    Wǒ duì zhè bù diàn yǐng fēi cháng zháo mí.
    I am very fascinated by this movie.
  • 着迷。
    Tā zháo mí yú zhōng guó chuán tǒng wén huà.
    She is fascinated by traditional Chinese culture.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

着zhefall into
迷mífascination

着 suggests falling into and 迷 gives fascination, so the sense is being 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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 著; 着 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艸艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě著zháo
Same sound today

The traditional form 著 puts 艸 (grass; plant) above 者, which gives the sound; the simplified 着 is a later shorthand.

Open 着 →

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
辵辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
米
米mǐ迷mí
Same sound today

迷 uses 辵, the walking part, and 米, which gives the sound.

Open 迷 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Emotions & Feelings5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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