How to use 不屑；不屑于
Subject + 不屑(于) + action
不屑 expresses disdain toward an action, treating it as beneath someone's standards or unworthy of their attention. The person may reject dishonest conduct, refuse to engage with someone, or dismiss an activity as trivial. Unlike a neutral calculation that something is not worth the time, the word reveals a judgment about dignity, value, or status.
Put the action after 不屑, optionally with 于 in a somewhat more formal construction. The sentence may describe the subject's own attitude or the speaker's interpretation of it. That attitude can appear principled or arrogant, depending on what is dismissed and why. Keep the element of contempt or superiority visible when translating, rather than reducing the expression to a simple lack of interest.
Examples with pinyin and English
她不屑用谎话换取表扬。
She disdains using lies to win praise.
The rejected action is treated as beneath her standards.
他不屑于参加这种无聊的争论。
He considers taking part in this pointless argument beneath him.
于 introduces the dismissed action in a more formal form.
她只笑了一下，似乎不屑回答。
She only smiled, seemingly disdaining to answer.
似乎 marks the speaker's interpretation of the dismissive attitude.
What to remember
- Use 不屑 for a dismissive judgment, not mere disinterest.
- Place the rejected action after 不屑 or 不屑于.
- Let context show whether the attitude seems principled or arrogant.
Practise the pattern
Use one example as a model. Change the people, objects or situation, keeping the grammar pattern in the same order. Read the explanation again to check how your sentence uses the construction.
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Source and editorial notes
Explanation and examples written for Laowai using the grammar curriculum as a topic reference. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
Difficulty labels describe the level of the explanation; they are not official HSK placement. Send a correction with this page’s URL.