📖 Meaning
This idiom means to set something aside and ignore it completely. It describes a dismissive attitude where one deliberately pays no attention to a matter or person, showing indifference or intentional disregard.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Qing dynasty novel 'Twenty Years of Splendid Dreams' (《廿载繁华梦》) by Huang Xiaopai, appearing in Chapter 16. In the story, people around the character Deng Yiqing speculate about his motives—some say he dislikes having too much money, while others claim he prefers poverty over wealth. Deng Yiqing simply disregards all such talk entirely. The phrase has since entered common usage for deliberately ignoring something.
💡 Example Usage
他对别人的劝告置之不理，结果吃了大亏。
He completely ignored the advice of others and ended up suffering a great loss.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 置之不理
- Pinyin: zhì zhī bù lǐ
- Literal Translation: put, it, not, attend to
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4