惘然若失 — “Feeling lost”
惘然若失 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Feeling lost”. Bewildered, and disoriented, as if something important has been forgotten or taken away, often accompanied by a sense of emptiness or despondency. Literally, “Lost and bewildered as if something is missing”.
惘然若失 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 惘wǎng
- 然rán
- 若ruò
- 失shī
惘然若失 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 惘然若失
Origin and Story of 惘然若失
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a scholar named Huang Xian who came from a humble family. From a young age, his erudition was exceptional.
The renowned scholar Xun Shu, after meeting him, discovered that the 14-year-old Huang Xian could surprisingly serve as his teacher. People often compared Huang Xian to Yuan Lang, an official, believing Huang Xian to be superior.
Dai Liang, a fellow villager, was initially quite conceited, thinking himself more knowledgeable than Huang Xian. However, every time he met Huang Xian, he would invariably feel a profound sense of bewilderment and loss, as if he had misplaced something important.
Idioms Related to 惘然若失
Antonyms of 惘然若失
More idioms starting with 惘
Questions about 惘然若失
- What does 惘然若失 mean?
- 惘然若失 (wǎng rán ruò shī) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “Feeling lost”.
- How do you pronounce 惘然若失?
- 惘然若失 is pronounced wǎng rán ruò shī in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 惘然若失 literally mean?
- Literally, 惘然若失 means “Lost and bewildered as if something is missing”. It is used to mean “Feeling lost”.
- Where does 惘然若失 come from?
- 惘然若失 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 惘然若失?
- 惘然：失意的样子。心情不舒畅，好象丢掉了什么东西似的。