自鸣得意 (zì míng dé yì) — to be smug and self-satisfied; to preen oneself

Definition

An idiom for showing off smugly, pleased with oneself in a way others find annoying. Carries a strongly negative tone — not a neutral 'proud'.

idiom

to be smug and self-satisfiedto preen oneself

自鸣得意，。
Tā gāng shēng zhí jiù zì míng dé yì, ràng tóng shì hěn bù shū fu.
He just got promoted and started preening himself, making his colleagues uncomfortable.
自鸣得意，。
Bié zì míng dé yì le, nǐ de chéng jì hái méi nà me hǎo.
Don't be so smug; your achievements aren't that great.
自鸣得意，。
Tā zǒng shì zì míng dé yì, qí shí dà jiā dōu bù xǐ huan tā.
She's always preening herself, but actually nobody likes her.

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.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 鳴; 鸣 is its simplified writing.

口鳥鳴

The traditional form 鳴 combines 口 (mouth) and 鳥 (bird) to show a bird crying.

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

The old form 㝵 showed a hand picking up a cowry, meaning to obtain; later changes turned that picture into 得.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Appears in