Chinese word

不以为然

Pronunciation

Pinyinbù yǐ wéi rán

Meaning

  • idiomdisagree

Example

大家都夸他很聪明，我有点不以为然。dà jiā dōu kuā tā hěn cōng míng wǒ yóu diǎn bù yǐ wéi rán

Everyone praises him for being smart, but I do not quite agree.

Illustration for 不以为然 (disagree)

More examples

她听了别人的解释，仍然不以为然。tā tīng le bié rén de jiě shì réng rán bù yǐ wéi rán

Even after hearing someone else's explanation, she still disagreed.

Core concept

A claim or judgment is held at arm's length instead of being accepted as sound.

Common phrases

  • 对他的说法不以为然duì tā de shuō fǎ bù yǐ wéi rán

    disagree with his claim

  • 显得不以为然xiǎn de bù yǐ wéi rán

    appear unconvinced

Similar words

半信半疑bàn xìn bàn yí: Feeling unable to fully believe a claim because its truth remains uncertain.
将信将疑jiāng xìn jiāng yí: Believing a claim to some extent while still retaining doubts about it.
心存疑虑xīn cún yí lǜ: Holding doubts or concerns about something in one's mind.

Definition in Chinese

对某种说法或评价不赞同或持保留态度，不认为那样正确或完全成立。duì móu zhǒng shuō fǎ huò píng jià bú zàn tóng huò chí bǎo liú tài dù bú rèn wéi nà yàng zhèng què huò wán quán chéng lì

Word origin

不以为然 (bùyǐwéirán, "not consider it so") is built from 不 (bù, "not") + 以 (yǐ, "take as") + 为 (wéi, "regard") + 然 (rán, "so"), giving the sense of not accepting a claim as correct.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, it lets disagreement focus on an opinion or evaluation rather than attack the person who expressed it.

Other meanings

  • disapproveidiom

Opposites

Word lists with this word