作威作福 (zuò wēi zuò fú) — (idiom, derogatory) to act tyrannically; to abuse one's power and ride roughshod over others
Definition
An idiom describing someone in power who throws their weight around — abusing authority to bully others. Always derogatory, used for people with power (officials, bosses), not peers.
idiom
(idiom, derogatory) to act tyrannicallyto abuse one's power and ride roughshod over others
Examples
- 作威作福，。Lì shǐ shàng yǒu xiē huáng dì zuò wēi zuò fú, bú gù bǎi xìng sǐ huó.In history, some emperors acted tyrannically, disregarding the suffering of the people.
- 作威作福，。Zhè ge lǐng dǎo zài dān wèi lǐ zuò wēi zuò fú, dà jiā dōu gǎn nù bù gǎn yán.This leader acts tyrannically in the office, and everyone is angry but dares not speak up.
- 作威作福，。Tā shēng zhí hòu jiù kāi shǐ zuò wēi zuò fú, duì xià shǔ yí zhǐ qì shǐ.After he got promoted, he started acting tyrannically, ordering his subordinates around arrogantly.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.