📖 Meaning
To handle matters in a careless, hasty, or perfunctory manner without due diligence. It describes doing things sloppily and without serious attention to detail or quality.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from Qing dynasty scholar Zhao Yi's work 'Notes on the Twenty-Two Histories' (《廿二史札记》), specifically in his critique of the 'New Tang Book' (新唐书). Zhao Yi pointed out that the Song dynasty historian Ouyang Xiu was rather careless when compiling the Basic Annals (本纪) section of the New Tang Book, failing to cross-check sources for consistency. He noted that early Ming dynasty historians simply adopted Ouyang's text as-is without mutual verification, further illustrating the same careless approach to scholarship.
💡 Example Usage
这项工程关系到上千人的安全，绝不能草率从事。
This project concerns the safety of over a thousand people, so we absolutely must not handle it carelessly.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 草率从事
- Pinyin: cǎo shuài cóng shì
- Literal Translation: careless, hastily, handle, matters
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4