<p>脑袋-短路, based on what I understand, just means literally that the brain short-circuited or malfunctioned as an electrical circuit would. The expression that comes to mind in English is:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>I blanked out for a second. </p>
</blockquote>

<p>Or </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>My mind went blank. </p>
</blockquote>

<p>Or perhaps </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>I spaced out for a second. </p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-19T03:43:48.143Z
Thanks for this. But this seems to imply the speaker's mind goes blank, while _脑袋短路_ also refers to "being temporarily stupid/silly", or "cannot see the obvious" sort of things. For exmple, some guy solves a math problem using a very complex method, and some other person shows him it can be done very simply, and he says: "Oh! Right! I _脑袋短路了_." Does _blank out_ work for this too? I mean this guy was thinking indeed, right?
trisct
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-19T03:59:32.307Z
@trisct That is significantly different than the OP.
Dr. Shmuel
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-19T04:02:17.427Z
But in Chinese, 脑袋短路 certainly works for these situations too. Maybe only one example situation is not enough to describe the meaning of the phrase. I'll try to complete my question.
trisct
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-19T04:04:41.510Z
Probably I should ask this on ELL anyway.
trisct
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-18T19:43:05.857Z
2019-08-18T19:43:05.857Z
Dr. Shmuel
<p>I think <a href="https://chinese.stackexchange.com/a/34804/22594">"brain fart"</a> is definitely the common way to say it.</p>

<p>But you could also use "zoned out", like</p>

<p>"Whoa, sorry, I zoned out for a second..." (哇，不好意思，脑袋短路...)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-19T06:28:02.590Z
2019-08-19T06:28:02.590Z
Atav32
<p>I found this with glitch:</p>

<p>也许，我脑袋里哪里短路了。
Maybe there was a glitch in my brain.</p>

<p>没什么, 我脑袋短路了。
Nothing, just a brain lapse.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-18T23:16:26.123Z
I have personally never heard the first one.
Dr. Shmuel
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-18T23:32:27.520Z
What? a glitch? We can misquote an old saying: A glitch in time saves nine! glitch from German glitschen, slip, glitschig, slippery. So, a brain glitch = a brain slip!
Pedroski
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-18T23:04:45.407Z
2019-08-18T23:04:45.407Z
Pedroski
<p>What about brain lag?</p>

<p>From <a href="https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Brain%20Lag" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Urban Dictionary</a> it defines it as:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>When it takes one's brain a few seconds to catch up with their actions.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>But I think I had heard someone said this in your kind of scenario</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Some guy solves a math problem using a very complex method, and some other person shows him that it can be done very simply, and he says: "Oh! Right! My  brain lagged."</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-19T06:23:40.317Z
2019-08-19T06:23:40.317Z
Michael
<p>How about:</p>

<p><strong>brain fart</strong></p>

<p><em>Google</em> defines it as:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>a temporary mental lapse or failure to reason correctly.<br>
  "I'm having a brain fart and can't spell his name correctly"</p>
</blockquote>

<hr>

<p>英语学科网 has an article entitled <a href="http://yy.zxxk.com/article/458052.html" rel="noreferrer">“大脑短路”用英语怎么说？</a>, which mentions:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>There's a scientific term for this totally common phenomenon, which we like to call a "brain fart." "Brain fart" is used to refer to a temporary mental lapse or failure to reason correctly.<br>
  这种非常普遍的现象有个学名，我们称之为“大脑短路”。"大脑短路"是指暂时的大脑失灵，无法正确地进行推断。<br>
  Below is a list of brain farts that pretty much everyone has had one time or another.<br>
  下面就是我们每个人都很可能曾经做过的脑子短路事件清单：</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-19T02:09:45.277Z
Yo- brain fart is serious slang, no?
Dr. Shmuel
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-19T02:19:16.797Z
@Dr.Shmuel I wouldn't call it serious slang, it's just informal. Practically everybody knows this term.
Mou某
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-19T06:25:14.713Z
The way to say this is definitely "brain fart"
Atav32
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-19T06:59:44.993Z
I think I am going to accept your answer because it is closest to what I wanted and this answer was the first to mention "brain fart". What is even better is that you provided a reference. I also want to note that other answer are also good but sadly I can only accept one.
trisct
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-19T01:50:32.317Z
2019-08-19T02:01:47.560Z
2019-08-19T02:01:47.560Z
Mou某
<p>I would ask this on ELL but I honestly have no idea how to express this in English. Online translation give &quot;brain short circuit&quot;, which sounds more like terminology than self-mockery. I am looking for a translation that fits here:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A: 你刚刚要说什么? (= what were you gonna say?)</p>
<p>B: 没什么, 我脑袋短路了. (= nothing, I just ____.)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another imaginary situation:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Some guy solves a math problem using a very complex method, and some other person shows him that it can be done very simply, and he says: &quot;Oh! Right! I ___(脑袋短路了).&quot;</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-08-19T06:59:46.120Z
I think you can just say "short circuit" and people can understand.
Zhang
<translation><phrase-request>
How to translate 脑袋短路 into English?
# How to translate 脑袋短路 into English?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-08-18)

I would ask this on ELL but I honestly have no idea how to express this in English. Online translation give "brain short circuit", which sounds more like terminology than self-mockery. I am looking for a translation that fits here:

> A: 你刚刚要说什么? (= what were you gonna say?)
>
> B: 没什么, 我脑袋短路了. (= nothing, I just \_\_\_\_.)

Another imaginary situation:

> Some guy solves a math problem using a very complex method, and some other person shows him that it can be done very simply, and he says: "Oh! Right! I \_\_\_(脑袋短路了)."

**Tags:** translation, phrase-request

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I think you can just say "short circuit" and people can understand.  

---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2019-08-19. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

How about:

**brain fart**

*Google* defines it as:

> a temporary mental lapse or failure to reason correctly.  
> "I'm having a brain fart and can't spell his name correctly"

---

英语学科网 has an article entitled [“大脑短路”用英语怎么说？](http://yy.zxxk.com/article/458052.html), which mentions:

> There's a scientific term for this totally common phenomenon, which we like to call a "brain fart." "Brain fart" is used to refer to a temporary mental lapse or failure to reason correctly.  
> 这种非常普遍的现象有个学名，我们称之为“大脑短路”。"大脑短路"是指暂时的大脑失灵，无法正确地进行推断。  
> Below is a list of brain farts that pretty much everyone has had one time or another.  
> 下面就是我们每个人都很可能曾经做过的脑子短路事件清单：

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Yo- brain fart is serious slang, no?  
> **username_6**: @Dr.username_2 I wouldn't call it serious slang, it's just informal. Practically everybody knows this term.  
> **username_3**: The way to say this is definitely "brain fart"  
> **username_0**: I think I am going to accept your answer because it is closest to what I wanted and this answer was the first to mention "brain fart". What is even better is that you provided a reference. I also want to note that other answer are also good but sadly I can only accept one.  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-08-18. Score: 6

脑袋-短路, based on what I understand, just means literally that the brain short-circuited or malfunctioned as an electrical circuit would. The expression that comes to mind in English is:

> I blanked out for a second.

Or

> My mind went blank.

Or perhaps

> I spaced out for a second.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks for this. But this seems to imply the speaker's mind goes blank, while _脑袋短路_ also refers to "being temporarily stupid/silly", or "cannot see the obvious" sort of things. For exmple, some guy solves a math problem using a very complex method, and some other person shows him it can be done very simply, and he says: "Oh! Right! I _脑袋短路了_." Does _blank out_ work for this too? I mean this guy was thinking indeed, right?  
> **username_2**: @username_0 That is significantly different than the OP.  
> **username_0**: But in Chinese, 脑袋短路 certainly works for these situations too. Maybe only one example situation is not enough to describe the meaning of the phrase. I'll try to complete my question.  
> **username_0**: Probably I should ask this on ELL anyway.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2019-08-19. Score: 4

I think ["brain fart"](https://chinese.stackexchange.com/a/34804/22594) is definitely the common way to say it.

But you could also use "zoned out", like

"Whoa, sorry, I zoned out for a second..." (哇，不好意思，脑袋短路...)


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2019-08-18. Score: 4

I found this with glitch:

也许，我脑袋里哪里短路了。
Maybe there was a glitch in my brain.

没什么, 我脑袋短路了。
Nothing, just a brain lapse.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: I have personally never heard the first one.  
> **username_4**: What? a glitch? We can misquote an old saying: A glitch in time saves nine! glitch from German glitschen, slip, glitschig, slippery. So, a brain glitch = a brain slip!  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2019-08-19. Score: 2

What about brain lag?

From [Urban Dictionary](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Brain%20Lag) it defines it as:

> When it takes one's brain a few seconds to catch up with their actions.

But I think I had heard someone said this in your kind of scenario

> Some guy solves a math problem using a very complex method, and some other person shows him that it can be done very simply, and he says: "Oh! Right! My brain lagged."


---

