bat1 liu5 liu5 zi1不了了之
Jyutpingbat1 liu5 liu5 zi1
Yalebāt líuh líuh jī
Definition
To settle a matter by leaving it unresolved, unfinished, and never mentioned again.
colloquialother
How it's used
This idiom carries a sense of frustration or cynicism regarding bureaucracy or lack of accountability. It implies that an issue was intentionally or conveniently forgotten rather than resolved. It is frequently used in professional or social contexts where someone expects a conclusion that never arrives.
Examples
That complaint ended up being dropped without any follow-up.
Related words
Common phrases
ended up being left unresolved
Common mistake
Learners often mistake this for a simple way to say 'gave up' on a task, but it specifically refers to a situation where a matter is left unresolved or ignored by others, rather than just a personal choice to stop doing something.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
