掉以轻心 (diào yǐ qīng xīn) — to let one's guard down, to be careless (often in negative constructions)
Definition
A formal chengyu meaning 'to let one's guard down, treat something lightly' — almost always used in a warning or negative ("不能/不可/不能掉以轻心"), implying the consequence is serious.
idiom
to let one's guard downto be careless (often in negative constructions)
Examples
- ，掉以轻心。Zhè jiàn shì hěn zhòng yào, wǒ men bù néng diào yǐ qīng xīn.This matter is very important; we can't take it lightly.
- ，掉以轻心。Suī rán yǐ jīng zhǔn bèi hěn jiǔ le, dàn bǐ sài shí hái shì bù néng diào yǐ qīng xīn.Although we've been preparing for a long time, we still can't let our guard down during the competition.
- 掉以轻心，。Tā duì zhè ge wèn tí diào yǐ qīng xīn, jié guǒ chū le dà cuò.He was careless about this issue, and as a result made a big mistake.
Appears in
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