Definition
自生自灭 is a four-character idiom (chengyu) that literally reads 'self live self die.' It describes a situation where you deliberately take no action and let something develop, survive, or disappear entirely on its own — like letting an issue 'run its course.' The attitude is often passive or laissez-faire, and you typically use it with verbs like 让 (ràng, 'to let') or 任 (rèn, 'to allow').
f.e.
to let things take their own course without interventionto let nature take its course and fade away
Examples
- ，自生自灭。Nàxiē xiǎo xiàngmù méi rén guǎn, zhǐ néng ràng tāmen zì shēng zì miè.Those small projects have no one looking after them; we can only let them run their course.
- ，，自生自灭。Jìrán shì shíyànshì lǐ de xìjūn, wǒmen jiù bù gānyù, ràng tā zì shēng zì miè ba.Since these are bacteria in the lab, we won't interfere — just let them take their course.
- 自生自灭，。Hěn duō wǎngluò liúxíngyǔ zuìzhōng dōu huì zì shēng zì miè, wú rén zài tí.Many internet buzzwords will eventually run their course and no one talks about them anymore.
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