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不管三七二十一

Mandarin · pinyin bù guǎn sān qī èr shí yī

regardless of the consequences
recklessly relying on a hopelessly optimistic forecast

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Characters in this entry

不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
管: guǎn · pipe, tube, duct; woodwind music
三: sān · three
七: qī · seven
二: èr · two; twice
十: shí · ten, tenth; complete; perfect
一: yī · one; a, an; alone

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–3–1–1–4–2–1 · bu4 guan3 san1 qi1 er4 shi2 yi1

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

bat1 gun2 saam1 cat1 ji6 sap6 jat1

Cantonese word readings for 不管三七二十一. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(colloquial) to cast all caution to the wind and act without thinking of the consequences

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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