事不关己 (shì bù guān jǐ) — it's not one's concern; the matter does not inv…

Definition

An idiom meaning 'the matter doesn't concern me' — used to describe a detached, uninvolved attitude toward others' affairs.

idiom

it's not one's concernthe matter does not involve me personally

事不关己，？
shì bù guān jǐ, Wǒ wèi shén me yào guǎn?
It's none of my business — why should I get involved?
事不关己，。
Tā zǒng shì yí fù shì bù guān jǐ de tài dù, duì bié rén de kùn nan cóng lái bù guān xīn.
He always has an 'it's-not-my-business' attitude and never cares about other people's difficulties.
，事不关己。
Zhè jiàn shì yǔ nǐ wú guān, nǐ jiù shì bù guān jǐ hǎo le.
This matter has nothing to do with you — just treat it as not your concern.

Characters in this word

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.

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.

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 關; 关 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

門門méndoor

Sound part声符shēngfú

𢇅

𢇅𢇅關guān

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 关, the traditional form 關 shows 門 as a door and 𢇅 as two wooden sticks locking it, with ring-like marks on top.

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

The 己 shape is a picture of a silk rope used to bind objects.

Appears in