自命 (zì mìng) — to consider oneself (as), to regard oneself as | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

自命 means 'to consider oneself (as)' and almost always carries a negative tone — the speaker thinks the person is overrating themselves (cf. 自以為, which is more neutral 'to think/believe oneself').

verb

to consider oneself (as)to regard oneself as

Examples

，。
Tā zǒng zì mìng bù fán, qí shí néng lì yì bān.
He always considers himself extraordinary, but his ability is average.
自命。
Tā zì mìng wéi dāng dài zuì yōu xiù de huà jiā.
She regards herself as the best painter of the contemporary era.
自命，。
Bié zì mìng qīng gāo, dà jiā dōu bù xǐ huan zhè zhǒng tài dù.
Don't consider yourself aloof; nobody likes that attitude.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

命mìngname/claim

自 (oneself) and 命 (to name) combine: to name oneself as something.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

自 originally drew a nose. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write 自, so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

令

令lìng命mìng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

命 combines 口, a mouth, with 令, which gives the sound.

Appears in

Attitudes & Opinions Thinking & Cognition

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