Definition
理睬 (lǐ cǎi) means 'to heed, pay attention to' someone's words or presence, and is almost always used in negative or interrogative sentences (e.g., 不理睬 'ignore', 谁理睬 'who cares'). Unlike 留意 (liú yì, 'take note of') or 留心 (liú xīn, 'be careful'), 理睬 focuses on acknowledging or responding to a person, not on being cautious or observant. It is stronger and more dismissive than 听 (tīng, 'listen'), which is neutral.
verb
to heedto pay attention to (typically in negative or interrogative constructions)
Easily confused
- 理财lǐ cáisound-aliketo manage finances, to do financial planning
Examples
- 理睬。Tā duì biérén de yìjiàn cóng bù lǐ cǎi.He never pays attention to other people's opinions.
- ，理睬。Tā zhàn zài ménkǒu, méiyǒu rén lǐ cǎi tā.She stood at the door, and no one paid her any attention.
- 理睬？Shéi lǐ cǎi tā de bàoyuàn?Who cares about his complaints?
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