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自诩 (zì xǔ) — (formal, often derogatory) to praise oneself; to brag about oneself

Definition

A formal, written verb meaning 'to brag about oneself' — typically carries a negative tone, unlike neutral self-descriptions. Often used for claims that turn out to be exaggerated or untrue.

verb
(formal, often derogatory) to praise oneselfto brag about oneself

Examples

  • 自诩，。
    Tā zǒng zì xǔ wèi háng yè zhuān jiā, qí shí jīng yàn bìng bù duō.
    He always boasts of being an industry expert, but in fact he doesn't have much experience.
  • 自诩，。
    Tā zì xǔ cái huá héng yì, què lián jī běn rèn wu dōu wán bù chéng.
    She boasts of being extremely talented, yet she can't even finish basic tasks.
  • 自诩，。
    Bié zì xǔ cōng ming, qiān xū yì diǎn cái néng jìn bù.
    Don't brag about being smart; only with humility can you make progress.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

自zìoneself
诩xǔboast

“自” means oneself and “诩” means boast, so it describes someone boasting about themselves.

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 詡; 诩 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
羽
羽yǔ詡xǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 詡 pairs 言 (speech) with 羽 for the sound; the simplified 诩 is a later shorthand.

Appears in
Communication & Speech

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