TongTong
Sign in

不闻不问 (bù wén bù wèn) — (idiom) to show no interest in; to be completely indifferent to; to ignore deliberately

Definition

A chengyu meaning to deliberately turn a blind eye and refuse to get involved — stronger than 漠不关心, which names a cold attitude; 不闻不问 emphasizes actively ignoring and taking no action.

idiom
to show no interest into be completely indifferent toto ignore deliberately

Examples

  • 不闻不问，。
    Tā duì zhè jiàn shì bù wén bù wèn, yí jù huà yě bù shuō.
    He showed no interest in this matter and didn't say a word.
  • ，不闻不问。
    Zuò wéi lǐng dǎo, nǐ bù néng duì yuán gōng de kùn nan bù wén bù wèn.
    As a leader, you can't be completely indifferent to your employees' difficulties.
  • 不闻不问，。
    Tā yì zhí bù wén bù wèn, hǎo xiàng zhè jiàn shì gēn tā méi guān xi.
    She has kept ignoring it all along, as if this matter has nothing to do with her.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 聞; 闻 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
耳耳ěrear
Sound part声符shēngfú
門
門mén聞wén
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In the traditional form 聞, 門 supplies the sound and 耳 is an ear; this explanation is about 聞, not the simplified 闻.

Open 闻 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 問; 问 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
門
門mén問wèn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 問 combines 口 (mouth) with 門, which gives the sound; the simplified 问 is a later shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 问 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.