三七二十一 (sānqīèrshíyī): three sevens are twenty-one (th…

Meanings

1 three sevens are twenty-one (the multiplication fact); the facts of the matter; the consequences (used in fixed phrases meaning 'regardless of consequences')

Characters

三

Examples

他不管三七二十一就冲了进去。

Tā bùguǎn sānqīèrshíyī jiù chōngle jìnqù.

He charged in regardless of the consequences.

管他三七二十一，先吃了再说。

Guǎn tā sānqīèrshíyī, xiān chīle zài shuō.

Who cares — let's eat first and worry later.

Tips

usage

Almost never used alone — almost always inside the chunk 不管三七二十一 (bùguǎn sānqīèrshíyī, 'regardless of the facts/consequences') or 管他三七二十一 ('who cares about anything'). The literal meaning is the multiplication-table fact; the figurative meaning is 'whatever the rules or consequences may be'.

memory

Why 'three sevens'? One folk explanation: in Warring States era 苏秦 (Su Qin) calculated that '21,000 troops × 7 states' was the strength needed to oppose Qin — when the math 'didn't add up' it was thrown around as a careless dismissal. The phrase entered everyday speech as shorthand for 'never mind the calculations'.