心不在焉 (xīn bù zài yān)

Character breakdown

• 心 (xīn) · 4 strokes

  Depicts a heart.

• 不 (bù) · 4 strokes

  Pictograph of sepals of a flower. The modern meaning "no" is a phonetic loan.

• 在 (zài) · 6 strokes

  Composed of 才 and 士, which both represent the sound.

• 焉 (yān) · 11 strokes

  A bird 鳥 with a strange head

Usage

他上课时心不在焉，被老师批评了。

He was absent-minded in class and got scolded by the teacher.

Tā shàngkè shí xīnbùzàiyān, bèi lǎoshī pīpíng le.