📖 Meaning
Matters that are not urgent or pressing. It refers to tasks or affairs that, while perhaps worth doing eventually, do not require immediate attention. The phrase often implies prioritization—focusing on what is truly important rather than wasting effort on non-essential things.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the 'Records of the Three Kingdoms' (三国志), specifically in the biography of Sun He (孙和) in the Wu section. Sun He advised that one should abandon unproductive desires and set aside non-urgent matters in order to cultivate virtue and build the foundations of achievement. The counsel reflected a Confucian emphasis on prioritizing moral cultivation and practical accomplishment over trivial pursuits. Over time, the expression became a standard way to describe tasks of low urgency.
💡 Example Usage
当下应以救急为先，其余皆不急之务，可暂且搁置。
Right now, addressing the emergency should come first; everything else is a non-urgent matter and can be set aside for the time being.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 不急之务
- Pinyin: bù jí zhī wù
- Literal Translation: not, urgent, 's, matter
- Category: Wisdom
- Characters: 4