已读不回 means a message shows as read but remains unanswered; it names the silence without proving the reader’s reason.
已读不回 gives silence a timestamp. The app shows that a message was read, yet the question, invitation, or plan is still hanging there with no answer.
That visible gap invites stories—maybe they are annoyed, maybe they forgot, maybe they opened it at the wrong moment. The phrase names the experience, not the motive. That distinction matters whenever a blue “read” mark starts doing more emotional work than the actual conversation.
Mo
昨晚问你要不要去，七点就显示已读了。
Zuówǎn wèn nǐ yào bú yào qù, qī diǎn jiù xiǎnshì yǐdú le.
“I asked last night if you wanted to go, and it showed “read” at seven.”
Zuo
我点开后去查时间，查完忘了回。
Wǒ diǎnkāi hòu qù chá shíjiān, chá wán wàng le huí.
“I opened it, went to check the time, and forgot to reply afterward.”
Mo
你一晚上已读不回，我就把多的票给别人了。
Nǐ yì wǎnshang yǐdú bù huí, wǒ jiù bǎ duō de piào gěi biérén le.
“You left me on read all night, so I gave the extra ticket to someone else.”
Zuo
怪我，下次先回一句“等我查”。
Guài wǒ, xià cì xiān huí yí jù “děng wǒ chá.”
“That’s on me. Next time I’ll first reply, “Let me check.””
Mo waited after the message showed as read, then gave the spare seat away. Zuo’s explanation reveals an ordinary forgotten reply; the awkward sticker acknowledges the consequence without pretending the silence was intentional.
close friends using a chat app with read receipts