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不識抬舉

简不识抬举 · 繁不識抬舉

Mandarin · pinyin bù shí tái jǔ

fail to appreciate sb's kindness
not know how to appreciate favors

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Characters in this entry

不: bù · no, not; un-; negative prefix
識: Look up this written character
抬: tái · lift, carry
舉: Look up this written character
识: shí · shì · recognize, understand, know
举: jǔ · raise, lift up; recommend

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

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Mandarin tones

4–2–2–3 · bu4 shi2 tai2 ju3

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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.

不識抬舉 · find source passages ↗ · 不识抬举 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) to fail to appreciate somebody's kindness; to be unable to appreciate favors; to not recognize a favor

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

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