如醉如痴
rú zuì rú chī · HSK 7
obsessed with
🍷 如=as-if, 醉=drunk, 痴=besotted: as-if-drunk, as-if-besotted = hooked on it
Pattern 如X如Y means as-if-X, as-if-Y. Here 醉 (drunk) plus 痴 (besotted/foolishly devoted) stack into one feeling: so absorbed in something you act drunk and dazed by it. Used for being mad about music, a hobby, or a person.
如 — woman radical 女 + mouth 口
Originally a phono-semantic compound where 女 (woman) suggested compliance and 口 (mouth) indicated speaking or following orders. The early sense was 'to follow' or 'to comply with what is said,' which extended to 'to be like' or 'as if.' Modern uses like 'if' and 'such as' grew from this comparative meaning.
醉 — wine vessel 酉 + complete 卒
A semantic-phonetic compound. The left side 酉 depicts a wine jar and gives the meaning 'alcohol,' while 卒 ('to finish, to end') hints at the sound and suggests drinking to completion. Together they convey being thoroughly drunk, and by extension 'intoxicated' or 'enthralled.'
如 — woman radical 女 + mouth 口
Originally a phono-semantic compound where 女 (woman) suggested compliance and 口 (mouth) indicated speaking or following orders. The early sense was 'to follow' or 'to comply with what is said,' which extended to 'to be like' or 'as if.' Modern uses like 'if' and 'such as' grew from this comparative meaning.