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茫然自失 (ぼうぜんじしつ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
dumbfounded ; stupefied ; in a stupor
yojijukugo (four-character idiom)
Describes a state of being so shocked or overwhelmed that one is unable to think or act; often used with する to mean 'to be dumbfounded' or 'to be in a stupor'.
茫ぼう 然ぜん 自じ 失しつ の 状じょう 態たい で 立た ち 尽つ くし て い た 。
I stood there in a stupor.
Written forms 茫ぼう 然ぜん 自じ 失しつ
Standard kanji spelling for this yojijukugo.
呆然自失ぼうぜんじしつ
Alternate kanji spelling using 呆 instead of 茫; less common but still encountered.
ぼうぜん 自じ 失しつ
Mixed kana-kanji spelling; sometimes used for readability.
Kanji 然 sort of thing, so, if so 呆 be amazed, disgusted, shocked Similar words 呆然ぼうぜん 呆然 is a shorter, more common word meaning 'dumbfounded' or 'in a daze'; 茫然自失 is a stronger, more formal yojijukugo emphasizing complete loss of self-possession.
茫ぼう 然ぜん 茫然 is similar to 呆然 and means 'blankly' or 'vacantly'; 茫然自失 adds the nuance of losing oneself entirely.
Etymology A yojijukugo composed of 茫然 (dazed, blank) and 自失 (losing oneself, self-loss). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it is conventionally used to express a state of complete stupefaction.
