不 识 时 务

bù shí shí wùdictionary entry

to show no understanding of the times (idiom) / cannot adapt to current circumstances / not amenable to reason

Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-3724b08a9b8ebb24. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

不識時務 不识时务 [bu4 shi2 shi2 wu4] /to show no understanding of the times (idiom); cannot adapt to current circumstances/not amenable to reason/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 不識時務

不
bù
no / not so / (bound form) not / un-
识
shí
to know / knowledge / Taiwan pr. [shì]
zhì
to record / to write a footnote
时
shí
(bound form) time / hour / period / season / (after a numeral) o'clock / hour(s) / (after a verb phrase or clause) when / while
Shí
surname Shi
务
wù
affair / business / matter / to be engaged in / to attend to / by all means

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.