About
The character "呆" structurally integrates the elements for mouth (口) and tree (木), creating an ideogram that conceptually depicts a person standing with mouth open, immobilized like wood, which originally conveyed a sense of physical inertness or simpleminded slowness. Over time, this tangible representation of inactivity was abstracted to describe mental dullness, solidifying its primary modern meaning of foolishness or stupidity. While the character's composition has stayed unchanged, its semantic focus shifted from denoting physical states to emphasizing cognitive deficiency, and it concurrently acquired a secondary verbal sense meaning to stay or remain, likely through phonetic adaptation, though this usage remains ancillary to its etymological core.
Example Sentences Hide
他呆了一会儿。
他看起来有点呆。
小猫呆萌地看着我。
他呆坐在椅子上不动。
听到这个消息，他呆住了。
他呆滞的目光让人担心。
虽然他很聪明，但有时候表现得很呆。
在关键时刻发呆，可能会导致严重的后果。