Chinese word

不管三七二十一

Pronunciation

Pinyinbù guǎn sān qī èr shí yī

Meaning

  • idiomwithout thinking

Example

她看到打折就不管三七二十一买了很多衣服。tā kàn dào dǎ zhé jiù bù guǎn sān qī èr shí yì mǎi le hěn duō yī fú

When she saw the discounts, she bought a lot of clothes without thinking.

Illustration for 不管三七二十一 (without thinking)

More examples

他看到陌生人求助就不管三七二十一跑过去帮忙。tā kàn dào mò shēng rén qiú zhù jiù bù guǎn sān qī èr shí yì pǎo guò qù bāng máng

When he saw a stranger asking for help, he ran over to help without thinking.

Core concept

Action comes first, while careful judgment about the situation and its outcome falls away.

Common phrases

  • 不管三七二十一就试一下bù guǎn sān qī èr shí yí jiù shì yí xià

    try it anyway

  • 不管三七二十一就帮忙bù guǎn sān qī èr shí yí jiù bāng máng

    help anyway

Similar words

一时冲动yì shí chōng dòng: Acting suddenly based only on a passing feeling or impulse.
不顾后果bú gù hòu guǒ: Acting without caring about the results or possible harm.
不顾一切bú gù yí qiè: Doing something while ignoring all surrounding conditions and dangers.
不问青红皂白bú wèn qīng hóng zào bái: Treating or judging something without checking the facts, reasons, or right and wrong.

Definition in Chinese

表示在不顾具体情况或后果的情况下随意做某事，常含草率或冲动的意思。biǎo shì zài bú gù jù tǐ qíng kuàng huò hòu guǒ de qíng kuàng xià suí yì zuò mǒu shì cháng hán cǎo shuài huò chōng dòng de yì si

Word origin

The idiom joins 不管 (bùguǎn, "not care") to 三七二十一 (sānqīèrshíyī, "three sevens and twenty-one"), using an arbitrary-sounding number phrase to represent details being brushed aside.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may hear its force as neutral, but Chinese speakers commonly use it to point out that someone acted rashly, especially when explaining a purchase or decision.

Other meanings

  • anywayidiom

Opposites

Word lists with this word