So I came across this character and I have no idea what it means. I've tried looking it up in an online chinese dictionary but was unable to find anything. Does anyone know what this character is and what it means in English? Thanks.
1 Answer
The Chinese character is 愣 (lèng). Usually characters with the 心-radical (on the left) are related to emotions.
From Oxford Dictionaries:
adjective
- distracted
- blank
verb
- stare blankly
- look distracted
Common collocations include 愣住 (~住 roughly means 'to a halt') and 發[发]愣 (發~ suggests initiation; see 發瘋 'to go mad'). Sometimes 愣乎乎, but this is more colloquial than the rest. A synonym of 愣 is 呆; you may say 發呆 as well, occasionally 呆住.
Examples:
- 他原地愣住了 'He stood still, flabbergasted'
- 別老站那兒發愣了 'Don't just stand there staring blankly (at nothing)'