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只顾 (zhǐ gù) — solely focused on (something), preoccupied with (often to the neglect of other matters)

Definition

只顾 is an adverb meaning 'to be solely caught up in' one thing, often neglecting others. Unlike 只管, which can also mean 'feel free to / go ahead', 只顾 is always critical or warns of neglect.

adverb
solely focused on (something)preoccupied with (often to the neglect of other matters)

Examples

  • 只顾，。
    Tā zhǐ gù zhuàn qián, bù guān xīn jiā rén.
    He only cares about making money and doesn't care about his family.
  • 只顾，。
    Bié zhǐ gù shuō huà, kuài kāi chē ba.
    Don't just talk; hurry up and drive.
  • 只顾，。
    Tā zhǐ gù kàn shū, méi zhù yì diàn huà xiǎng le.
    She was so absorbed in reading that she didn't notice the phone ringing.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

只zhīonly
顾gùattend

The sense of 只 meaning only combined with 顾 meaning attend gives attention directed to one thing alone, so other matters are neglected.

Characters in this word

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

只 shows air coming out of a mouth, for a word used in speech.

Open 只 →

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 顧; 顾 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yè
Sound part声符shēngfú
雇
雇gù顧gù
Same sound today

The traditional form 顧 combines 雇 as a sound part and 頁 as a meaning part; 顾 is the simplified form of 顧.

Open 顾 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Thinking & Cognition

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