见死不救
jiàn sǐ bù jiù
to leave someone to die; to refuse help to someone in desperate need
Character by character
见jiàn
see
see
死sǐ
dying
dying
不bù
not
not
救jiù
save
save
Example
老同学的公司快撑不下去了，向你借钱，你总不能见死不救吧？
Your old classmate's company is about to go under and he has asked you for a loan. Surely you can't just leave him to sink?
Tone: negative (criticism).
Usage and origin
Always a reproach, often inside a question: 怎么能见死不救？ Said literally of bystanders who let someone die, as in the case of Yueyue, and loosely of refusing help to a friend or a firm in trouble. Its opposite in spirit is 见义勇为 (lesson 5-20).
Learn this in Lesson 154 · HSK 7–9: 拨打120 (Calling 120)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.
Open the lesson →