xīn
zài
yān

idiom
common

Meaning of 心不在焉

心不在焉 means absent-minded; with one's mind wandering; distracted. Pronounced xīn bù zài yān.

  • absent-minded; with one's mind wandering; distracted

Definitions & Examples

shàng
shí
xīn
zài
yān
 
lǎo
shì
kàn
zhe
chuāng
wài
 

He was absent-minded during class, always looking out the window.

Bié
kàn
zuò
zài
 
shí
xīn
zài
yān
 
zài
xiǎng
bié
de
shì
 

Don't be fooled by him sitting there; actually his mind is elsewhere, thinking about other things.

Xīn
zài
yān
shì
xué
gōng
zuò
de
 

Being absent-minded is the great enemy of study and work.