<p>有些人[你]不必理会. 你 is dropped as the context is clear. If you read the sentence again, it starts with:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>当<strong>你</strong>长大，<strong>你</strong>慢慢学会几件事情；有些人不必理会...</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Chinese is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro-drop_language" rel="nofollow">pro-drop language</a>, you will encounter this quite often. 理会 here does <em>not</em> mean understand, but to bother or care about. So, it is saying, there are some people that you don't need to care about.</p>

<hr>

<blockquote>
  <p>有些人永远成不了你的敌人，[你]不必抬举他，这种人太看得起自己了，以为拼命攻击你伤害你，就能够被你所恨。</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Some people will never become your enemy; there is no need to flatter them. This kind of person thinks too highly of himself and assumes that by attacking and harming you relentlessly, he will be hated by you.</p>

<p>There is no double meaning here for 敌人. It is just a philosophical statement advising you not to bear grudge against an unworthy opponent.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-08T03:31:00.607Z
Thanks, first question is clear. Second one is strange. I understand the words in the literal sense, but I can't grasp the moral of the story there. If the word was "friend" instead of enemy that would have a bit more meaning to me. There are people that will never be your friend so dont bother kissing their a**. Where does the assumption that this person thinks so highly of himself come from, and why would he deliberately try to make you hate him? I guess I dont really understand philosophy...
rabbid
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-08T03:42:54.830Z
@rabbid, sorry I am not a philosopher. I can only help you translate the sentence, not interpret the philosophy. Maybe you should try asking that in [Philosophy SE](http://philosophy.stackexchange.com/)?
杨以轩
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-08T04:00:08.693Z
@rabbid, I think the passage is just listing the different types of people you will encounter in life and how to deal with them. So, it gives various scenarios, one of which is a person who deliberately harms you so that you will take notice of him.
杨以轩
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-08T08:40:10.357Z
I think what Question Overflow said above makes a lot of sense, taking into account the fact that these sentences are about love (at least they sound so)...
user58955
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-08T11:35:29.557Z
OK thanks guys. I will try not to dwell so much on the philosophical meanings and more on the Chinese lesson I can gain :)
rabbid
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-08T02:58:24.983Z
2013-12-08T02:58:24.983Z
杨以轩
<p>@rabbid
Question 1: 'care about' is more appropriate for '理会' here.
Your second translation is right. (There are people that you don't need to care about.)</p>

<p>Question 2: This sentence is talking exactly about how you treat your enemy instead of friend. '敌人' in this sentence describes the type of people who are worth for you to see them as enemy.</p>

<p>The educational meaning behind this sentence is that there may be some people using some cheap tricks to compete with you. Don't even bother to treat them as 'opponents'.
Those people don't even have the privilege to be your opponents. They will be ruled out by history eventually. On the other hand, some people compete with you by improving themselves. These people are your true 'enemies'. (You may be confused now. You might think that the second type of people I'm talking about are friends in your perspective. Let me explain more.)</p>

<p>Think about it this way. Imagine that you are on sports field. Those great players (opponents) that race with you in the game can be your friends off the game. Right? If some player is cheating in order to win over you, then don't see him/her as enemy. Don't be upset if got beaten by him/her. Do your practice, focus on yourself, you will eventually beat him/her.  </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-22T22:35:13.770Z
2013-12-22T22:35:13.770Z
user3705
<p>My translation:</p>

<p>当你长大，你慢慢学会几件事情；有些人不必理会，无论他说什么做什么，多么幼稚又多么讨厌，真的不需要在乎。有些人永远成不了你的敌人，不必抬举他，这种人太看得起自己了，以为拼命攻击你伤害你，就能够被你所恨。有些人不必等待，你心里其实清楚得很，这个人不必再等了，只是你放不下.
As you grow up, you slowly learn a few things; there are people that (you) don't need to understand/care about, no matter what they say or do, regardless of how naive or annoying he is, don't pay any mind/depend on. There are people that will never become your enemy, don't praise him, this type of person cares too much about himself, will go all out to hurt you, will be hated by you. There are people that (you) don't need to wait on, actually inside you are very clear, don't wait on this person any longer, it's you that can't let go.   </p>

<p>How is my translation? Would appreciate your corrections. There are many I dont really understand:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>有些人不必理会. Actually there are two translations I thought of:
A.there are people that just don't understand (dont understand what? "You"?). 
B. There are people that YOU don't need to understand/care about.
Which one is correct?</p></li>
<li><p>有些人永远成不了你的敌人，不必抬举他，这种人太看得起自己了，以为拼命攻击你伤害你，就能够被你所恨。this sentence is talking about someone that can NOT be your enemy, yet this person is doing his worse to hurt "you" and "you" will totally hate him? Is there a double meaning to 敌人 that I don't understand?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thank you very much</p>

<grammar>
Not clear what or who the subject of these sentences is
# Not clear what or who the subject of these sentences is

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-12-08)

My translation:

当你长大，你慢慢学会几件事情；有些人不必理会，无论他说什么做什么，多么幼稚又多么讨厌，真的不需要在乎。有些人永远成不了你的敌人，不必抬举他，这种人太看得起自己了，以为拼命攻击你伤害你，就能够被你所恨。有些人不必等待，你心里其实清楚得很，这个人不必再等了，只是你放不下.
As you grow up, you slowly learn a few things; there are people that (you) don't need to understand/care about, no matter what they say or do, regardless of how naive or annoying he is, don't pay any mind/depend on. There are people that will never become your enemy, don't praise him, this type of person cares too much about himself, will go all out to hurt you, will be hated by you. There are people that (you) don't need to wait on, actually inside you are very clear, don't wait on this person any longer, it's you that can't let go.

How is my translation? Would appreciate your corrections. There are many I dont really understand:

1. 有些人不必理会. Actually there are two translations I thought of:
   A.there are people that just don't understand (dont understand what? "You"?).
   B. There are people that YOU don't need to understand/care about.
   Which one is correct?
2. 有些人永远成不了你的敌人，不必抬举他，这种人太看得起自己了，以为拼命攻击你伤害你，就能够被你所恨。this sentence is talking about someone that can NOT be your enemy, yet this person is doing his worse to hurt "you" and "you" will totally hate him? Is there a double meaning to 敌人 that I don't understand?

Thank you very much

**Tags:** grammar


---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2013-12-08. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

有些人[你]不必理会. 你 is dropped as the context is clear. If you read the sentence again, it starts with:

> 当**你**长大，**你**慢慢学会几件事情；有些人不必理会...

Chinese is a [pro-drop language](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro-drop_language), you will encounter this quite often. 理会 here does *not* mean understand, but to bother or care about. So, it is saying, there are some people that you don't need to care about.

---

> 有些人永远成不了你的敌人，[你]不必抬举他，这种人太看得起自己了，以为拼命攻击你伤害你，就能够被你所恨。

Some people will never become your enemy; there is no need to flatter them. This kind of person thinks too highly of himself and assumes that by attacking and harming you relentlessly, he will be hated by you.

There is no double meaning here for 敌人. It is just a philosophical statement advising you not to bear grudge against an unworthy opponent.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks, first question is clear. Second one is strange. I understand the words in the literal sense, but I can't grasp the moral of the story there. If the word was "friend" instead of enemy that would have a bit more meaning to me. There are people that will never be your friend so dont bother kissing their a**. Where does the assumption that this person thinks so highly of himself come from, and why would he deliberately try to make you hate him? I guess I dont really understand philosophy...  
> **username_1**: @username_0, sorry I am not a philosopher. I can only help you translate the sentence, not interpret the philosophy. Maybe you should try asking that in [Philosophy SE](http://philosophy.stackexchange.com/)?  
> **username_1**: @username_0, I think the passage is just listing the different types of people you will encounter in life and how to deal with them. So, it gives various scenarios, one of which is a person who deliberately harms you so that you will take notice of him.  
> **username_2**: I think what Question Overflow said above makes a lot of sense, taking into account the fact that these sentences are about love (at least they sound so)...  
> **username_0**: OK thanks guys. I will try not to dwell so much on the philosophical meanings and more on the Chinese lesson I can gain :)  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2013-12-22. Score: 0

@username_0
Question 1: 'care about' is more appropriate for '理会' here.
Your second translation is right. (There are people that you don't need to care about.)

Question 2: This sentence is talking exactly about how you treat your enemy instead of friend. '敌人' in this sentence describes the type of people who are worth for you to see them as enemy.

The educational meaning behind this sentence is that there may be some people using some cheap tricks to compete with you. Don't even bother to treat them as 'opponents'.
Those people don't even have the privilege to be your opponents. They will be ruled out by history eventually. On the other hand, some people compete with you by improving themselves. These people are your true 'enemies'. (You may be confused now. You might think that the second type of people I'm talking about are friends in your perspective. Let me explain more.)

Think about it this way. Imagine that you are on sports field. Those great players (opponents) that race with you in the game can be your friends off the game. Right? If some player is cheating in order to win over you, then don't see him/her as enemy. Don't be upset if got beaten by him/her. Do your practice, focus on yourself, you will eventually beat him/her.


---

