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不痛不痒

不痛不癢
bùtòngbùyǎng
idiom #44,492

Meanings

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

Examples

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.
这种不痛不痒的措施根本解决不了问题。
Zhè zhǒng bùtòngbùyǎng de cuòshī gēnběn jiějué bùliǎo wèntí.
These half-hearted measures don't even begin to solve the problem.

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