Dictionary › 心不在焉

心不在焉

xīn bù zài yān

4-character word

What 心不在焉 means

1. absent-minded
2. preoccupied
3. inattentive
4. with one's thoughts wandering

The characters in 心不在焉

• 心xīnheart; mind; intention
• 不bùno; not so; (bound form) not; un-
• 在zàito exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at…
• 焉yānwhere; how

Example sentences

• 他心不在焉。
  Tā xīnbùzàiyān.
  He's absent-minded.
• 他在课堂上心不在焉。
  Tā zài kètáng shàngxīn bù zài yān.
  He had his head in the clouds in class.
• 她心不在焉的把车子撞在了柱子上。
  Tā xīnbùzàiyān de bǎ chēzi zhuàng zài le zhùzi shàng.
  By lack of attention, she hit the post with her car.