不理

• Pinyin: bù lǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 不 = not; 理 = 王 (jade) + 里 (village/inside), originally meaning to polish jade, now meaning reason or to manage

Meaning

To ignore; to pay no attention to; to disregard. Deliberately choosing not to respond or acknowledge someone or something.

Commonly used to describe intentionally ignoring someone's words, requests, or presence. Can indicate displeasure, dismissal, or simply being too busy. Often used in interpersonal contexts. Less formal than 置之不理.

Examples

1. 她发了三条消息，他都不理，估计是在忙吧。 She sent three messages and he ignored them all — probably busy.
2. 这种网上的恶意评论，最好的办法就是不理。 The best way to handle malicious comments online is to just ignore them.
3. 孩子在地上打滚撒泼，妈妈故意不理他，等他自己冷静下来。 The child was throwing a tantrum on the floor, and mom deliberately ignored him, waiting for him to calm down on his own.

Usage Guide

Context: interpersonal, everyday, conflict

Tone: dismissive

Do Say

• 别理他，他就是想惹你生气。(Don't pay attention to him — he just wants to make you angry.)
• 我发消息她都不理我。(She ignores all my messages.)

Don't Say

• 我不理这个数学题。(For academic problems you can't solve, use 不会 or 做不出来 — 不理 is for interpersonal ignoring)

Origin & History

不 (not) + 理 (to pay attention to, to manage). 理 originally meant to cut jade along its natural lines, extending to managing or paying attention to things.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal