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了事 (liǎo shì) — to get something over with; to dispose of a matter hastily

Definition

了事 (liǎo shì) means to wrap something up quickly and carelessly — finishing a task just to be done with it, not to do it well. Often used critically, as in 别这么了事 ('don't just brush it off').

verb
to get something over withto dispose of a matter hastily

Examples

  • 了事，。
    Tā zhī xiǎng kuài diǎn liǎo shì, suǒ yǐ zuò dé mǎ mǎ hū hū.
    He just wanted to get it over with quickly, so he did it carelessly.
  • ，。
    Zhè jiàn shì tā hěn kuài jiù le liǎo shì, gēn běn méi zǐ xì jiǎn chá.
    He finished this matter quickly, without even checking carefully.
  • 了事，。
    Bié zhè me liǎo shì, yào rèn zhēn duì dài měi yí gè xì jié.
    Don't just get it over with like this; you need to take every detail seriously.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

了liǎofinish
事shìmatter

“了” means finish and “事” means matter, together to finish or dispose of a matter.

Characters in this word

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

了 was once drawn to show a baby with no arms; some old comments say it showed crossed or tangled legs.

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Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.

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Appears in
Change & Process

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