如醉如痴

• Pinyin: rú zuì rú chī
• Hanzi breakdown: 如 = as if; 醉 = 酉 (wine vessel) + 卒 (finish) — drunk from wine; 痴 = 疒 (illness) + 疑 (confused) — dazed infatuation

Meaning

As if intoxicated and entranced; deeply fascinated; utterly absorbed. Describes being completely captivated by something to the point of losing oneself.

A four-character idiom used to describe intense absorption in art, music, beauty, or any passion. Implies a pleasurable loss of ordinary awareness, similar to being drunk and lost in a reverie. Often used in literary descriptions of audiences, performers, or devoted enthusiasts. The variant 如痴如醉 carries the same meaning.

Examples

1. 音乐厅里的听众被那名小提琴家的演奏深深打动，个个听得如醉如痴，久久不愿离去。 The audience in the concert hall was deeply moved by the violinist’s performance, listening in complete rapture and reluctant to leave for a long time.
2. 她在图书馆里翻开那本古典小说，便如醉如痴地一口气读了整整六个小时，忘记了吃饭。 Once she opened that classic novel in the library, she became completely absorbed and read nonstop for six full hours, forgetting to eat.
3. 台下的年轻观众对那位歌手的演出如醉如痴，随着节奏不停地摇摆，沉浸其中无法自拔。 The young audience members were utterly captivated by the singer’s performance, swaying nonstop with the rhythm, immersed and unable to pull themselves away.

Usage Guide

Context: art, music, literature, performance

Tone: expressive

Do Say

• 整场音乐会期间，观众们如醉如痴，完全沉浸在那种美妙的旋律与情感共鸣之中，掌声经久不息。(Throughout the concert, the audience was utterly entranced, completely immersed in the wonderful melody and emotional resonance, and the applause lasted for a long time.)
• 他自幼对围棋如醉如痴，为了提升技艺，甘愿放弃一切娱乐活动，每日苦练十余小时。(He has been deeply fascinated by Go since childhood, willing to give up all leisure activities and practise for more than ten hours daily in order to improve his skills.)

Don't Say

• 他如醉如痴地写了一封信 — 如醉如痴 describes intense absorption in an artistic or passionate experience; use 专心致志地 for concentrated work or writing

Origin & History

如醉 (as if drunk) + 如痴 (as if infatuated/dazed) — doubly lost in pleasurable absorption

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal