怅然若失 — “Disappointed as if having lost something”
怅然若失 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to feel lost and frustrated, as if something precious has been taken away; crestfallen; despondent and disoriented”. Literally, “disappointed as if having lost something”.
Frequency
怅然若失 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 怅chàng
- 然rán
- 若ruò
- 失shī
怅然若失 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 怅然若失
考试失利后，他回到家中，心里久久不能平静，感到怅然若失
After failing the exam, he returned home, his heart uneasy for a long time, feeling utterly lost and disappointed.
Origin and Story of 怅然若失
During the Jin Dynasty, a scholar named Yin Zhongzhan, who considered himself very talented in writing, showed his proudest work to Wang Gong, fully expecting Wang Gong to lavish praise upon him.
However, after reading it, Wang Gong offered no comments, merely using a jade artifact to hold the manuscript down.
Witnessing this, Yin Zhongzhan felt as if he had been doused with cold water, a deep sense of disappointment and unease washing over him, leaving him feeling utterly lost.
Idioms Related to 怅然若失
Synonyms of 怅然若失
Antonyms of 怅然若失
More idioms starting with 怅
Questions about 怅然若失
- What does 怅然若失 mean?
- 怅然若失 (chàng rán ruò shī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to feel lost and frustrated, as if something precious has been taken away; crestfallen; despondent and disoriented”.
- How do you pronounce 怅然若失?
- 怅然若失 is pronounced chàng rán ruò shī in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 怅然若失 literally mean?
- Literally, 怅然若失 means “disappointed as if having lost something”. It is used to mean “to feel lost and frustrated, as if something precious has been taken away; crestfallen; despondent and disoriented”.
- Where does 怅然若失 come from?
- 怅然若失 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to the modern era. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 怅然若失?
- 怅然：形容不如意、不痛快。象失去什么似的烦恼不快。