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不痛不痒

不痛不癢
bùtòng-bùyǎng
idiom #44,492

Meanings

  1. 1 neither painful nor itchy
  2. 2 perfunctory and toothless
  3. 3 failing to address the real issue

Examples

HSK 4
这种不痛不痒的措施根本解决不了问题。
Zhèzhǒng bùtòngbùyǎng de cuòshī gēnběn jiějué bù liǎo wèntí.
These half-hearted measures don't even begin to solve the problem.
HSK 5
他的批评不痛不痒，没起到任何作用。
Tā de pīpíng bùtòngbùyǎng, méi qǐdào rènhé zuòyòng.
His criticism was so toothless it had no effect at all.

Tips

usage
Common in criticism of weak responses, vague speeches, and toothless reforms - the speaker is calling out something that fails to bite.

Stroke Order

不 bù
痛 tòng
痒 yǎng