Chinese word

废寝忘食

Pronunciation

Pinyinfèi qǐn wàng shí

Meaning

  • idiomwork day and night

Example

他为了项目废寝忘食。tā wèi le xiàng mù fèi qǐn wàng shí

He worked day and night on the project.

Illustration for 废寝忘食 (work day and night)

More examples

她为了通过博士答辩，废寝忘食地写完了论文。tā wèi le tōng guò bó shì dá biàn fèi qǐn wàng shí dì xiě wán le lùn wén

To pass her doctoral defense, she worked day and night to finish her dissertation.

Core concept

Attention stays fixed on one task while the body's ordinary needs fade into the background.

Common phrases

  • 废寝忘食地写论文fèi qǐn wàng shí dì xiě lùn wén

    write a thesis day and night

  • 废寝忘食地准备考试fèi qǐn wàng shí dì zhǔn bèi kǎo shì

    prepare for exams day and night

  • 废寝忘食搞科研fèi qǐn wàng shí gǎo kē yán

    do scientific research day and night

Similar words

孜孜不倦zī zī bú juàn: Working eagerly and steadily without showing signs of tiring.
夜以继日yè yǐ jì rì: Working continuously through both day and night without taking a break.
殚精竭虑dān jīng jié lǜ: Using all available mental energy to think through and work on a matter.
埋头苦干mái tóu kǔ gàn: Working quietly and with focused effort on one task despite the hardship.

Definition in Chinese

为了完成某件事而放弃睡眠和进食，用来形容非常投入或劳累到忽略生理需要。wèi le wán chéng mǒu jiàn shì ér fàng qì shuì mián hé jìn shí yòng lái xíng róng fēi cháng tóu rù huò láo lèi dào hū lüè shēng lǐ xū yào

Word origin

废 (fèi, "discard") + 寝 (qǐn, "sleep") + 忘 (wàng, "forget") + 食 (shí, "meals") joins four direct images to show commitment that pushes normal daily care aside.

Usage tips

  • It generally describes sustained, unusually intense effort rather than ordinary busyness, so applying it to a small task sounds exaggerated.

Other meanings

  • forget sleep and mealsidiom

Opposites

  • 劳逸结合láo yì jié hébalance work and restidiom

Word lists with this word