不管三七二十一

bùguǎnsānqīèrshíyī

idiom #72,380

Meanings

1 regardless of the consequences
2 without thinking about right or wrong
3 to act recklessly
4 no matter what

Characters

care about, mind

Examples

他不管三七二十一，冲进屋里就开始找。

Tā bùguǎn sān qī èrshíyī, chōngjìn wū lǐ jiù kāishǐ zhǎo.

Without thinking twice, he rushed into the room and started searching.

饿坏了的孩子不管三七二十一，抓起馒头就吃。

Èhuàile de háizi bùguǎn sān qī èrshíyī, zhuā qǐ mántou jiù chī.

The starving child grabbed the bun and ate without a second thought.

你别不管三七二十一就答应人家。

Nǐ bié bùguǎn sān qī èrshíyī jiù dāyìng rénjiā.

Don't just agree to people without thinking it through.

Tips

history

Recorded in Feng Menglong's Ming-dynasty 警世通言 (Jingshi Tongyan, Stories to Caution the World). Why 'three sevens are twenty-one'? Because 3x7=21 is the most basic, undeniable truth - so to 'not care that 3x7=21' means to ignore even the simplest reasoning. To act first, think later.

usage

Very common in spoken Chinese. Often pairs with 就 (jiu) - 不管三七二十一 + 就 + verb. Has a slightly negative or impulsive flavor; not used to praise careful action.

Stroke Order

不 bù

管 guǎn

三 sān

七 qī

二 èr

十 shí

一 yī