想入非非

xiǎngrùfēifēi

idiom #23,807

Meanings

1 to indulge in fantasy
2 to let one's imagination run wild
3 to have unrealistic flights of fancy

Characters

to think / to imagine

not / wrong / beyond

not / wrong / beyond (repeated for emphasis)

Examples

他总是想入非非，做着不切实际的白日梦。

Tā zǒngshì xiǎng rù fēifēi, zuòzhe bù qiē shíjì de báirìmèng.

He always lets his imagination run wild, daydreaming unrealistically.

别想入非非了，脚踏实地才是正道。

Bié xiǎng rù fēifēi le, jiǎotàshídì cái shì zhèngdào.

Stop fantasizing — staying grounded is the right way.

Tips

memory

非非 literally means "non-non" or "not-not" — a Buddhist term for the most rarefied, unreal realm of meditation. So 想入非非 means letting your thoughts drift into the most otherworldly, unreal spaces imaginable. Perfect for dreamers.

Stroke Order

想 xiǎng

入 rù

非 fēi