📖 Meaning
To set something aside with complete indifference or cold detachment. It describes an attitude of not caring at all about something, treating it as if it hardly matters.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom does not trace back to a single specific literary source or historical anecdote. It is a compound expression formed from '淡然' (indifferently, aloofly) and '置之' (set it aside), both of which appear separately in various classical texts. The phrase reflects a traditional Chinese philosophical ideal of detachment and composure, echoing Daoist and Confucius-influenced themes of remaining unmoved by worldly affairs. Over time it became a common expression for describing someone who disregards or ignores something without emotional engagement.
💡 Example Usage
面对同事的无理指责，他只是淡然置之，继续做自己的工作。
Faced with his colleague's unreasonable accusations, he simply brushed them aside indifferently and continued with his own work.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 淡然置之
- Pinyin: dàn rán zhì zhī
- Literal Translation: indifferently, place, it
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4