Comparing “hūshì” and “qīngshì”
忽视 vs 轻视
Comparison section · original #27 · level order #120
How it works
Both 忽视 (hūshì) and 轻视 (qīngshì) can describe a negative attitude toward something, but they focus on different meanings.
忽视 (hūshì) means to ignore, to overlook, or to fail to pay enough attention to. The core meaning is that something important was not noticed or not treated seriously enough.
轻视 (qīngshì) means to look down on, to despise, or to underestimate. The core meaning is that someone thinks something or someone is not important, not valuable, or not worthy of respect.
So the basic difference is:
忽视 (hūshì) = fail to notice / fail to pay attention
轻视 (qīngshì) = look down on / treat with contempt or underestimation
Example sentences
很多人在工作太忙的时候，容易忽视自己的身体健康。
When people are too busy with work, they easily ignore their physical health.
这个小问题看起来不大，但绝不能因此忽视它可能带来的后果。
This small problem may not look serious, but we absolutely must not ignore the consequences it may bring.
任何对手都不应该被轻视，哪怕对方经验没有你丰富。
No opponent should be looked down on, even if the other side has less experience than you.
他之所以失败，很大一部分原因是太轻视这个项目的难度了。
A large part of the reason he failed was that he underestimated the difficulty of this project.
Key point
忽视 (hūshì) is about lack of attention. 轻视 (qīngshì) is about attitude of looking down on something.