敷衍 (fū yǎn) — to do something perfunctorily, to go through the motions; to get by or scrape along with minimal effort (e.g., barely enough food to last)
Definition
敷衍 means to do something half-heartedly, just to get by. Unlike 含糊 (an adjective for vague/careless attitude), 敷衍 is the verb for the action itself; it pairs with 了事 or a person to mean brushing them off.
verb
to do something perfunctorilyto go through the motionsto get by or scrape along with minimal effort (e.g., barely enough food to last)
Examples
- ，。Tā zuò shì zǒng shì fū yǎn liǎo shì, cóng bú yòng xīn.He always does things perfunctorily and never puts his heart into it.
- 敷衍，。Bié fū yǎn wǒ le, qǐng gěi wǒ yí gè míng què de dá fù.Don't just brush me off — please give me a clear answer.
- 敷衍，。Zhè diǎn shí wù hái néng fū yǎn liǎng tiān, zhōu mò zài qù mǎi.This food can last a couple more days; we'll buy more on the weekend.
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