心不在焉
- Literal
- the heart is not there
- Figurative
- To be physically present but with your mind elsewhere, paying no attention to what is right in front of you.
Where does 心不在焉 come from?
The phrase comes from the 大学 chapter of the 《礼记》, the classic book of rites. A passage on self-cultivation reads: “心不在焉，视而不见，听而不闻，食而不知其味” —if the heart is not there, you look without seeing, listen without hearing, and eat without tasting. 焉 is a classical particle meaning "there, in it." The text was talking about moral attention; today it covers any kind of absent-mindedness, from the student staring out the window to the person nodding along in a meeting without taking in a word.
Source (出处): 《礼记·大学》
How is 心不在焉 used? Two examples
- 他今天开会一直心不在焉，问他什么都答不上来。
He was miles away for the whole meeting today; ask him anything and he can't answer.
- 你要是心不在焉，看十遍也记不住。
If your mind is elsewhere, you can read it ten times and still not remember it.
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