黐线

黐線
chīxiàn
adjective

Meanings

  1. 1 (Cantonese slang) crazy; nuts; off one's rocker
  2. 2 lit. crossed wires

Examples

HSK 3
Nǐ chīxiàn a? Zhèzhǒng shì dōu gǎn zuò!
Are you nuts? You actually dared to do that?
HSK 3
Tā zuìjìn yālì tài dà, yǒudiǎn chīxiàn.
He's been under so much pressure lately he's gone a little loopy.

Tips

register
Cantonese (chi1 sin3; means 'sticky / stuck'). The image is wires that have stuck or crossed inside the head. Common in HK films and TVB dramas; in Mandarin contexts use 神经 or 疯了 instead.
memory
Think of an old switchboard with 'crossed lines' - that's literally what 黐线 means: your mental wires got tangled.

Stroke Order

chī
线 xiàn