放着X不Y: leaving X alone and not doing Y
【六64】口语格式 / fixed patterns
Tone colorsā tone 1á tone 2ǎ tone 3à tone 4a neutral
放着 X 不 V reproaches someone for ignoring a good option that is right there: having X at hand and not using it. X is a noun phrase slipped between 放着 and 不 + verb (放着好日子不过, 放着现成的地图不看), and the sentence usually goes on with the odd choice, introduced by 偏要, 非要, 却 or 去: 放着电梯不坐，偏要走楼梯。
Here 放着 does not mean “put”: it keeps the idea of “leaving it there, within reach”. The verb after 不 says what one should have done with X (坐、用、看、吃、过、做). The formula always blames: it voices incomprehension or irritation, never a neutral description, and it belongs to speech.
Do not mix it up with the 着 of state: 桌子上放着一本书 (“a book is lying on the table”) reproaches no one.
Examples
公司有电梯，他放着电梯不坐，偏要走楼梯。
Gōngsī yǒu diàntī, tā fàng zhe diàntī bú zuò, piān yào zǒu lóutī.The office has a lift, but he ignores it and insists on taking the stairs.
放着好好的工作不做，他非要去开饭馆。
Fàng zhe hǎohāo de gōngzuò bú zuò, tā fēi yào qù kāi fànguǎn.He had a perfectly good job and walked away from it: he was set on opening a restaurant.
你放着现成的地图不看，难怪会迷路。
Nǐ fàng zhe xiànchéng de dìtú bú kàn, nánguài huì mílù.You have a map right there and you don't look at it, no wonder you get lost.
谁会放着这么好的机会不要呢？
Shéi huì fàng zhe zhème hǎo de jīhuì bú yào ne?Who would turn down such a great chance?
教练放着状态最好的队员不用，偏要让一个新人上场。
Jiàoliàn fàng zhe zhuàngtài zuì hǎo de duìyuán bú yòng, piān yào ràng yí ge xīnrén shàngchǎng.The coach ignores his best-form player and insists on putting on a newcomer.
他放着舒服的大房子不住，非要一个人搬到山里去。
Tā fàng zhe shūfu de dà fángzi bú zhù, fēi yào yí ge rén bān dào shān li qù.He has a comfortable big house and doesn't live in it: he is set on moving to the mountains alone.
Common mistakes
✗ 他放着不吃好东西。 → ✓ 他放着好东西不吃。 (the thing goes between 放着 and 不 + verb).
✗ 我放着书在桌上不看。 → ✓ 书放在桌上，我没看。 (for a plain statement with no reproach, 放着X不Y is not used: the formula always blames).