纳闷 (nà mèn) — to be puzzled, to be bewildered | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

纳闷 (nàmèn) means feeling puzzled or bewildered about something you can't figure out — a quiet, wondering puzzlement, not a strong confusion. Common pattern: 我纳闷 + clause ("I wonder why...").

verb

to be puzzledto be bewildered

Examples

，纳闷。
Tā tīng le zhè ge xiāo xi, xīn lǐ hěn nà mèn.
He heard the news and felt very puzzled.
，纳闷。
Dà jiā dōu zài xiào, zhǐ yǒu wǒ yí gè rén nà mèn.
Everyone is laughing, only I am puzzled.
纳闷。
Wǒ nà mèn wèi shén me tā bù lái.
I am puzzled why he didn't come.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

纳nàaccept

闷mēnpuzzlement

纳 means to accept, and 闷 means puzzlement or vexation; together they suggest accepting puzzlement and feeling bewildered.

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 納; 纳 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìsilk, thin thread

Sound part声符shēngfú

内

Same sound today

The traditional form 納 has 糸 (silk, thin thread) and 内, which gives the sound; the simplified 纳 is a shorthand.

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 悶; 闷 is its simplified writing.

門心悶

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

門

門mén悶mēn

Same sound today

The traditional form 悶 has 門 as a sound part and 心 as a meaning part; the simplified 闷 is a later shorthand.

Appears in

Emotions & Feelings

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