走火入魔

zǒuhuǒ-rùmó

idiom

Meanings

1 to become obsessed
2 to go overboard
3 to lose one's mind through faulty meditation or martial-arts practice

Characters

fire (inner energy)

Examples

HSK 4

他玩游戏玩得走火入魔，连饭都不吃了。

Tā wán yóuxì wán de zǒuhuǒ-rùmó, lián fàn dōu bù chī le.

He's so obsessed with gaming that he doesn't even eat.

HSK 7-9

小说里，这个高手练功太急，结果走火入魔。

Xiǎoshuō lǐ, zhège gāoshǒu liàngōng tài jí, jiéguǒ zǒuhuǒ-rùmó.

In the novel, this master trained too hastily and lost control of his mind.

Tips

culture

In qigong lore and martial-arts fiction, wrong or hurried practice can send inner energy astray (走火) and let demons into the mind (入魔), leaving the practitioner deranged. In everyday speech it means being obsessed with anything, from games to pop idols: 追星追得走火入魔 "crazy about a star".

Stroke Order

走 zǒu

火 huǒ

入 rù

魔 mó