CHENGYU
不假思索(bù jiǎ sī suǒ)meaning, story and origin
- Register:
- neutral
- Source:
- 宋·黄榦《黄勉斋文集》
MEANING
- Literal
- without borrowing thought
- Figurative meaning
- without a second thought; offhand
ORIGIN STORY
The Song scholar Huang Gan wrote of the well-trained mind: "It needs no forcing, borrows no thinking — in a single instant the understanding is there." The phrase praises answers that come before reflection can begin.
NATURAL EQUIVALENT
“off the top of one's head”
EXAMPLES
他不假思索地回答了所有问题。Tā bù jiǎ sī suǒ de huídá le suǒyǒu wèntí.HSK6
He answered every question without pausing to think.
这个问题太难了，不能这样不假思索。Zhège wèntí tài nán le, bù néng zhèyàng bù jiǎ sī suǒ.HSK6
The question is too hard to answer off the top of one's head.
COMMON MISTAKE
Watch out: Note the reading: 假 is jiǎ (to borrow). It is speed and fluency — not carelessness.
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN
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TRUST & SOURCES
- Reviewed by
- AI-assisted editorial review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-15
- CC-CEDICT 2026-01-01