鬼迷心窍
guǐ mí xīn qiào
to be possessed; to lose one’s head
Character by character
鬼guǐ
ghost
ghost
迷mí
bewitch
bewitch
心xīn
heart
heart
窍qiào
aperture
aperture
Example
他当时真是鬼迷心窍，把准备买房子的钱全转给了网上认识的“女朋友”。
He must have been out of his mind: he transferred all the money for the flat to a “girlfriend” he had met online.
Tone: negative (criticism).
Usage and origin
The old belief was that a ghost had blocked the openings of the heart (心窍), where clear thinking lives. Used, often in hindsight and often of oneself, for a foolish or wrong act done in a moment of madness: 我一时鬼迷心窍.
Learn this in Lesson 68 · HSK 6: 反诈 (Phone and online scams)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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