yī běn zhèng jīng一本正经(idiom) in deadly earnest; deadpanFrequency 3.2Meanings(idiom) in deadly earnest; deadpanExample sentences他一本正经地说起玩笑话,大家愣了几秒才笑出声。孩子一本正经地向老师解释自己迟到的原因。