si6 bat1 gwaan1 gei2, gei2 bat1 lou4 sam1事不關己，己不勞心事不关己，己不劳心
Jyutpingsi6 bat1 gwaan1 gei2, gei2 bat1 lou4 sam1
Yalesih bāt gwāan gei2, géi bāt lòuh sām
Definition
Stay out of matters that do not concern you; do not worry about things that are not your business.
colloquialpeopledescriptions
How it's used
This idiom describes a mindset of indifference towards matters that do not directly affect oneself. It is often used to criticize someone for being selfish or detached when they should be showing concern or offering assistance. While it sounds formal due to its classical structure, it is frequently used in daily life to comment on social apathy.
Examples
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Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
