不屑 (not worth doing)

• Pinyin: bùxiè
• Formation: Subject + 不屑(于) + Verb / Verb Phrase
• Hanzi breakdown: 不 = a negation character; 屑 = 尸 (body) + 肖 (resemble) — originally tiny fragments falling from the body

Meaning

不屑 (bùxiè) means 'to disdain,' 'to consider beneath oneself,' or 'not worth doing.' It expresses that the subject regards something as too trivial, unworthy, or beneath their dignity to bother with.

不屑 conveys a strong sense of contempt or dismissal — the speaker or subject considers the action or thing so insignificant that engaging with it would lower their standards. It is often followed by 于 to form 不屑于, which more formally connects to the verb phrase. The closely related expression 不屑一顾 means 'not worth a single glance' and is a common four-character idiom. Unlike 不值得 (not worth it), which is a neutral assessment of value, 不屑 carries emotional weight — pride, arrogance, or principled refusal. It appears frequently in literary contexts and formal commentary.

Examples

1. 她对那些毫无根据的流言不屑一顾。 She didn't deign to give those baseless rumours a single glance.
2. 他不屑于用这种投机取巧的手段来获取利益。 He disdains using such opportunistic methods to gain benefits.
3. 面对对手的挑衅，他表现得十分不屑。 Faced with the opponent's provocation, he appeared thoroughly contemptuous.

Usage Guide

Context: written, literary, commentary

Tone: dismissive

Do Say

• 他向来不屑于在背后议论别人。
• 那位教授对肤浅的学术争论向来不屑一顾。
• 她不屑于解释自己的决定，因为她对自己的判断充满信心。
• 真正有实力的人不屑于和无关的人争高低。

Don't Say

• 我不屑吃这个蛋糕。(不屑 expresses contempt or principled disdain, not simple lack of appetite — use 不想 for casual refusal) → 我不想吃这个蛋糕。
• 他不屑了那本书。(不屑 cannot take a direct object with 了 — it must be followed by 于 + verb or used as an adjective/adverb) → 他不屑于读那本书。

Origin & History

不屑 combines 不 (not) and 屑 (scraps, trifles). 屑 originally referred to tiny fragments or crumbs, so 不屑 literally means 'not even scraps' — implying something is so worthless it does not even qualify as scraps worthy of attention.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal