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纳闷儿 (nà mèn r) — puzzled, bewildered

Definition

纳闷儿 is the everyday, conversational 'feel puzzled' — it describes a person's state, not the thing that confuses them. 困惑 is more formal and works as both adjective and verb ('to perplex'); 纳闷儿 is just the feeling, used in speech.

verb
puzzledbewildered

Examples

  • ，纳闷儿。
    Tā tīng le zhè ge xiāo xi, xīn lǐ hěn nà mèn r.
    He was very puzzled after hearing this news.
  • 纳闷儿。
    Wǒ nà mèn r wèi shén me tā jīn tiān méi lái shàng bān.
    I'm puzzled why he didn't come to work today.
  • 纳闷儿，。
    Dà jiā dōu nà mèn r, tā zěn me huì zuò chū zhè yàng de jué dìng.
    Everyone was puzzled — how could he make such a decision?

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

纳闷puzzled
纳nàtake in闷mēngloom
动宾Verb + object
儿érerhua

纳 (take in) and 闷 (gloom) combine for a puzzled feeling, with 儿 adding a colloquial sound.

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
内nèi納nà
Same sound today

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

Open 纳 →

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīn
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.

Open 闷 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape 儿 is a simple drawing of a standing person, used as an alternate form of the character for person.

Open 儿 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Emotions & Feelings

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