心无旁骛
xīn wú páng wù
with undivided attention; totally focused
Character by character
心xīn
heart
heart
无wú
without
without
旁páng
aside
aside
骛wù
pursue
pursue
Example
考试前的最后一个月，她心无旁骛，每天只做复习这一件事。
In the last month before the exam she let nothing distract her and did nothing but revise.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
骛 (wù) is “to rush after”, so 旁骛 is chasing other things. Usually 心无旁骛地 + verb, or as a predicate; often paired with 专心致志. Mind the character: 骛 has 马 at the bottom, not 鸟 (鹜 is a duck).
Learn this in Lesson 183 · HSK 7–9: 大国工匠 (Master craftsmen)
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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