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自负 (zì fù) — (adjective) conceited, arrogant; (verb) to take responsibility (for one's own profits/losses, consequences, etc.)

Definition

As an adjective, 自负 describes an overconfident, arrogant person — similar to 傲慢 but with a sense of believing one is smarter or more capable. As a verb (自负责任), it overlaps with 担 (to shoulder/undertake).

adjective
conceitedarrogant
verb
to take responsibility (for one's own profits/losses, consequences, etc.)

Examples

  • 自负。
    Tā zì fù de tài dù ràng tóng shì hěn bù mǎn.
    His conceited attitude made his colleagues very unhappy.
  • 自负。
    Nǐ yào duì zì jǐ xíng wéi de hòu guǒ zì fù zé rèn.
    You must take responsibility for the consequences of your own actions.
  • 自负。
    zì fù De rén wǎng wǎng hěn nán jìn bù.
    Conceited people often find it hard to 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zìself
负fùbear

自 (self) and 负 (bear) combine: the self bears or presumes, giving responsibility or conceit.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 負; 负 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 負 combines 人 (person) and 貝 (cowry), with 人 written as ⺈; the simplified 负 is a later abbreviation.

Open 负 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Personality & Traits

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