痴呆

癡呆

chīdāi

noun HSK 7-9 #9,712

Meanings

1 dementia
2 dull-witted; stupefied; dazed

Characters

foolish; obsessed; infatuated

dull; blank; dazed

Literally 'foolish and dazed' — the mind has become clouded.

Examples

奶奶得了老年痴呆症。

Nǎinai déle lǎoniánchīdāizhèng.

Grandma developed Alzheimer's disease.

他被吓得痴呆了。

Tā bèi xià de chīdāi le.

He was scared into a daze.

早期痴呆的症状容易被忽视。

Zǎoqī chīdāi de zhèngzhuàng róngyì bèi hūshì.

Early symptoms of dementia are easily overlooked.

Tips

usage

老年痴呆症 (lǎonián chīdāizhèng) is the common term for Alzheimer's/senile dementia. The more formal medical term is 阿尔茨海默症 (Ā'ěrcíhǎimòzhèng). Some consider 痴呆 stigmatizing, so 认知障碍 (rènzhī zhàng'ài, cognitive disorder) is gaining use.

Stroke Order

痴 chī

呆 dāi