麻木不仁

mámù-bùrén
idiom #29,003

Meanings

  1. 1 numb and unfeeling
  2. 2 apathetic
  3. 3 insensitive
  4. 4 thick-skinned

Examples

Chángqī de pínkùn ràng tā biàn de mámùbùrén.
Years of poverty left him numb and apathetic.
Tā duì biérén de tòngkǔ mámùbùrén, lìngrén hán xīn.
His insensitivity to others' suffering is chilling.

Tips

memory
麻木 (numb / paralysed) + (without benevolence / feeling). Originally a medical metaphor: can mean the sensitivity of flesh. Someone 麻木不仁 has lost the ability to feel — physically or emotionally.

Stroke Order

rén