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虚荣心 (xū róng xīn) — vanity

Definition

A psychological state: the strong desire to be admired or praised for one's looks, status, or achievements. Unlike a passing wish, 虚荣心 implies it shapes behavior (e.g., overspending, showing off).

noun
vanity

Examples

  • ，虚荣心。
    Tā tài ài dǎ bàn le, xū róng xīn hěn qiáng.
    She loves dressing up too much; she has a strong sense of vanity.
  • 虚荣心。
    xū róng xīn Wǎng wǎng ràng rén zuò chū bù lǐ zhì de jué dìng.
    Vanity often leads people to make irrational decisions.
  • 虚荣心，。
    Wèi le mǎn zú xū róng xīn, tā huā le hěn duō qián mǎi míng pái.
    To satisfy his vanity, he spent a lot of money on designer brands.

Origin

Characters in this word

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 虛; 虚 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
丘丘qiūhill
Sound part声符shēngfú
虍
虍hū虛xū
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 虛 pairs the upper 虍, which gives the sound, with a lower part shaped like 丘, 'hill'; the simplified 虚 is a later shorthand.

Open 虚 →

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 榮; 荣 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
熒
熒yíng榮róng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 榮 pairs 木, a tree/wood part, with 熒 (yíng) as the part that gives the sound; the simplified 荣 is a later shorthand, so its parts are not the historical parts.

Open 荣 →

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

The shape of 心 comes from a drawing of a heart, now highly stylized.

Open 心 →
Appears in
Personality & Traits

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