Chinese word

不理

Pronunciation

Pinyinbù lǐ

Meaning

  • verbignore

Example

他总是不理我。tā zǒng shì bù lǐ wǒ

He always ignores me.

Illustration for 不理 (ignore)

More examples

顾客投诉后，经理却选择不理，事情越闹越大。gù kè tóu sù hòu jīng lǐ què xuǎn zé bù lǐ shì qíng yuè nào yuè dà

After the customer complained, the manager chose to ignore it, and the matter kept getting worse.

Core concept

Turning away from a person or request and withholding the attention needed for any reply.

Common phrases

  • 不理批评bù lǐ pī píng

    ignore criticism

  • 不理电话bù lǐ diàn huà

    ignore phone calls

Similar words

无视wú shì: Refuse to acknowledge a person, their presence, or their views.
忽视hū shì: Pay too little attention to something and miss an important point.
漠视mò shì: Show little care or respect for a person or matter and treat it as unimportant.

Definition in Chinese

对他人的言语、行为或请求不做回应，不加理会。duì tā rén de yán yǔ xíng wéi huò qǐng qiú bú zuò huí yìng bù jiā lǐ huì

Word origin

不 (bù, "not") negates 理 (lǐ, "attend to or handle"), so the combination presents attention or response as withheld.

Usage tips

  • The subject may still hear or notice the other person, because the word focuses on the missing response rather than on failing to perceive the words or request.

Other meanings

  • leave aloneverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 不理睬bù lí cǎiignoreverb
  • 不理不睬bù lǐ bù cǎiignore completelyidiom

Word lists with this word