Definition
置身事外 is a four-character idiom meaning 'to stay aloof from a matter'. The literal reading is 'place one's body outside the matter'. It describes a person deliberately choosing not to get involved in a situation or conflict. You often see it used in the pattern 对…置身事外 ('stay aloof from…') or followed by a specific situation.
idiom
to stay aloof from a matterto remain uninvolved
Examples
- ,置身事外。Tā bù xiǎng cānyù zhè jiàn shì, xuǎnzé zhì shēn shì wài.He didn't want to get involved in this matter and chose to stay aloof.
- ,置身事外。Miànduì zhège zhēnglùn, tā shǐzhōng zhì shēn shì wài.Facing this debate, he remained aloof throughout.
- ,置身事外。Gōngsī nèibù de wèntí, guǎnlǐ céng bù néng zhì shēn shì wài.For internal company problems, management cannot stay aloof.
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