«اِلتُّقْلْ صَنْعَهْ»

This traditional saying presents calculated indifference as an accomplished tactic: seeming unavailable, silent, or dismissive may make an admirer pursue the desired person with greater intensity.

Its force is the paradox that being ignored can deepen longing rather than end it. It frames emotional reserve as practiced allure, while not endorsing the potentially hurtful idea that withholding attention is an appropriate way to intensify attachment.

Used when someone describes deliberate coolness or withheld attention as a tactic that makes a pursuer more eager. It may be admiring or critical, but can be unwelcome or hurtful where it treats emotional distance as a means of managing another person’s attachment.