Chinese word

迷惑不解

Pronunciation

Pinyinmí huò bù jiě

Meaning

  • idiombe confused

Example

学生们对新规则都迷惑不解。xué shēng men duì xīn guī zé dōu mí huò bù jiě

The students are all confused about the new rules.

Illustration for 迷惑不解 (be confused)

More examples

听了专家的解释，他还是有点迷惑不解。tīng le zhuān jiā de jiě shì tā hái shì yóu diǎn mí huò bù jiě

Even after hearing the expert's explanation, he was still a little confused.

Core concept

An unsettled mind cannot make sense of what it encounters.

Common phrases

  • 对这件事感到迷惑不解duì zhè jiàn shì gǎn dào mí huò bù jiě

    be confused about this matter

  • 对他的解释感到迷惑不解duì tā de jiě shì gǎn dào mí huò bù jiě

    be confused by his explanation

Similar words

莫名其妙mò míng qí miào: Not understanding how or why something came about.
一头雾水yì tóu wù shuǐ: Being completely confused about what is happening.
摸不着头脑mō bù zháo tóu nǎo: Being unable to work out what something means or how to think about it.
不知所措bù zhī suǒ cuò: Being unsure how to deal with a situation and unable to take action.

Definition in Chinese

对某事感到不明白且心里困惑，难以找出合理解释。duì mǒu shì gǎn dào bù míng bái qiě xīn lǐ kùn huò nán yǐ zhǎo chū hé lǐ jiě shì

Word origin

迷 (mí, "to lose one's way") + 惑 (huò, "to confuse") + 不 (bù, "not") + 解 (jiě, "untie or understand") builds a picture of a mind unable to find a clear explanation.

Usage tips

  • The confused person is usually the subject, while the matter causing the confusion follows 对 (duì, "toward"), which gives the idiom a clear everyday sentence pattern.

Other meanings

  • be puzzledidiom

Opposites

  • 豁然开朗huò rán kāi lǎngbecome suddenly clearidiom

Related words

Word lists with this word