TongTong
Sign in

无关紧要 (wú guān jǐn yào) — insignificant, of no importance

Definition

Used to dismiss something as unimportant or trivial. Pairs naturally with 都 or 显得; more emphatic than 微不足道 ('too trivial to mention') and less dismissive than 区区 ('mere, trifling').

phrase
insignificantof no importance

Examples

  • 无关紧要，。
    Zhè xiē xì jié dōu wú guān jǐn yào, bú yòng tài zài yì.
    These details are all insignificant; don't worry too much.
  • ，无关紧要。
    Zài shēng sǐ miàn qián, qí tā shì qing dōu xiǎn de wú guān jǐn yào.
    In the face of life and death, other things all seem insignificant.
  • 无关紧要，。
    Tā shuō de nà xiē wú guān jǐn yào de huà, méi rén dàng zhēn.
    No one took those insignificant words he said seriously.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

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.

Open 关 →

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 緊; 紧 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
臤
臤qiān緊jǐn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 緊 pairs 糸 (thread) with 臤 as a sound part; the simplified 紧 is a later shorthand.

Open 紧 →

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

要 began as a drawing of a person with both hands pointing to the waist.

Open 要 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Idioms & Set PhrasesGood & Bad5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.