自行其是 (zì xíng qí shì) — to go one's own way; to act on one's own judgment (often disregarding others)

Definition

A pejorative idiom for going one's own way, ignoring others' views or rules. The speaker usually disapproves — unlike 随心所欲, this emphasizes defying collective or authoritative judgment.

idiom
to go one's own wayto act on one's own judgment (often disregarding others)

Examples

  • ，自行其是。
    Tā wán quán bù jiē shòu jiàn yì, zǒng shì zì xíng qí shì.
    He completely refuses advice and always goes his own way.
  • 自行其是，。
    Gōng sī lǐ yí wèi jīng lǐ zì xíng qí shì, dǎo zhì xiàng mù shī bài.
    A manager in the company acted on his own judgment, causing the project to fail.
  • 自行其是，。
    Zài jí tǐ zhōng bù yí zì xíng qí shì, xū yào duō yǔ dà jiā shāng liang.
    In a group, it's not good to go your own way; you need to consult with others.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

自行act by oneself
自zìoneself行xíngact
主谓Subject + predicate
其是what one thinks right
其qíone's是shìright
偏正Modifier + head

自行 (act by oneself) and 其是 (what one thinks right) mean following one's own judgment.

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.

Open 自 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →

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

The modern form 其 comes from an early drawing of a basket, with a stand added underneath.

Open 其 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 是 →

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