摇头晃脑 (yáo tóu huǎng) — to nod and shake one's head smugly; a self-satisfied demeanor
Definition
An idiom for bobbing and swaying one's head with a smug, self-satisfied air. Carries a negative tone — the person looks pleased with themselves, often annoyingly so.
idiom
to nod and shake one's head smuglya self-satisfied demeanor
Examples
- 摇头晃脑,。Tā bèi shī de shí hou zǒng ài yáo tóu huǎng, yí fù dé yì de yàng zi.When reciting poetry, he always likes to nod and shake his head smugly, looking very pleased with himself.
- ,摇头晃脑,。Lǎo bǎn tīng le tā nà ge bú tài gāo míng de diǎn zi, zhǐ shì yáo tóu huǎng xiào le xiào, shén me yě méi shuō.The boss heard his not-so-brilliant idea and just nodded and shook his head with a smug smile, without saying anything.
- ,摇头晃脑。Jiǔ guò bàn xún, zhè wèi lǎo xiān sheng yòu kāi shǐ yáo tóu huǎng dì jiǎng qǐ zì jǐ de guāng huī lì shǐ.Halfway through the drinks, this old gentleman started nodding and shaking his head smugly as he recounted his glorious past.
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