不自量 (bù zì liàng) — to overestimate one's own abilities; to be overconfident

Definition

A formal/literary adjective meaning 'to overestimate one's own ability.' Often paired with 量力而行 ('act within your limits') to contrast sensible self-assessment with overreach.

adjective
to overestimate one's own abilitiesto be overconfident

Examples

  • ，不自量。
    Tā zǒng shì yì diǎn zì zhī zhī míng dōu méi yǒu, chù chù bù zì liàng.
    He always has no self-knowledge and overestimates himself everywhere.
  • 不自量，。
    Nǐ zhè yàng bù zì liàng, chí zǎo huì chī kuī de.
    If you're so overconfident, you'll suffer losses sooner or later.
  • ，不自量。
    Zuò shì yào liàng lì ér xíng, bú yào bù zì liàng.
    Do things according to your ability; don't overestimate yourself.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

不bùnot
自量measure oneself
自zìself量liángmeasure
主谓Subject + predicate

不 means not, and 自量 means measure oneself, so it describes someone who does not estimate their own ability.

Characters in this word

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

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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.

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

  • 日日rìsun
  • 東東dōngbag; east

量 has 日 (sun) over 東 (bag; east). Some explanations suggest measuring under the sun or the sun rising in the east, but the exact origin is unclear.

Open 量 →

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