聚精会神

• Pinyin: jù jīng huì shén
• Hanzi breakdown: 聚 = gather; 精 = 米 + 青 (essence/spirit); 会 = 人 + 云 (converge/meet); 神 = 礻+ 申 (spirit/mind)

Meaning

To concentrate fully; to give one's undivided attention. A four-character idiom describing a state of complete mental focus.

A classical chengyu emphasising total absorption in a task to the exclusion of distractions. Used to praise diligence, warn about the need for focus, or describe deep concentration. Applicable to study, work, performance, and competitive contexts.

Examples

1. 学生们在考场内个个聚精会神，奋笔疾书，争分夺秒地完成各自的答题任务。 In the exam room, every student was completely focused, writing furiously and racing against the clock to finish their answers.
2. 钢琴家闭上双眼，聚精会神地投入演奏，将这首复杂乐曲诠释得淋漓尽致。 The pianist closed his eyes and devoted himself fully to the performance, bringing the complex piece to life with remarkable clarity.
3. 外科医生在整个手术过程中始终聚精会神，任何细微的操作误差都可能危及患者生命。 Throughout the surgery, the surgeon remained completely focused—any tiny mistake could put the patient’s life at risk.

Usage Guide

Context: study, work, performance, competition

Tone: positive

Do Say

• 想要在高难度项目上取得突破，就必须学会在嘈杂环境中保持聚精会神的工作状态。(To achieve breakthroughs on highly demanding projects, one must learn to maintain a state of complete focus even in a noisy environment.)
• 她聚精会神地盯着棋盘，盘算着对手下一步最可能的落子位置。(She stared at the chessboard with complete concentration, calculating where her opponent was most likely to play next.)

Don't Say

• 我聚精会神地玩手机 — the idiom implies purposeful, disciplined focus; pairing it with passive entertainment sounds contradictory and ironic; use 专心 instead

Origin & History

聚 (gather) + 精 (essence/spirit) + 会 (converge) + 神 (mind/spirit) — gather the essence and converge the spirit

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal