📖 Meaning
Describes someone who is unreasonable and lacks a basic sense of fairness in dealing with others. It implies that a person does not act according to accepted norms of logic and common sense, making them difficult to reason with.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from 'Stories Old and New' (古今小说) by Feng Menglong of the Ming Dynasty, in the chapter 'Shi Hongzhao's Meeting of Dragon, Tiger, Lord, and Minister' (史弘肇龙虎君臣会). In the story, a character named Wang Baozheng offers only three hundred coins for a large dog, prompting someone to rebuke him for being unreasonable — paying so little for such a big animal is simply unfair. The phrase thus came to describe someone who acts without regard for common sense and propriety.
💡 Example Usage
你这人太不近道理了，怎么能这样对待朋友？
You are being utterly unreasonable — how could you treat a friend like that?
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 不近道理
- Pinyin: bù jìn dào lǐ
- Literal Translation: not, near, reason, principle
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4