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我行我素 (wǒ xíng wǒ sù) — to stick to one's own way of doing things, regardless of what others say

Definition

Idiom meaning 'to do things one's own way, ignoring what others say'. Carries a slightly stubborn or uncooperative tone — like 'go one's own way' with a hint of defiance.

idiom
to stick to one's own way of doing things, regardless of what others say

Examples

  • ，我行我素。
    Tā bù guǎn bié rén zěn me yì lùn, réng rán wǒ xíng wǒ sù.
    He still sticks to his own way regardless of what others say.
  • 我行我素，。
    Tā zǒng shì wǒ xíng wǒ sù, cóng bù tīng bié rén de jiàn yì.
    She always does things her own way and never listens to others' advice.
  • ，我行我素，。
    Zài zhí chǎng shàng, shì dàng wǒ xíng wǒ sù kě yǐ zhǎn xiàn gè xìng, dàn yě yào zhù yì tuán duì hé zuò.
    In the workplace, appropriately sticking to your own way can show individuality, but you also need to pay attention to teamwork.

Origin

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.

The glyph 我 originally drew a trident-like weapon. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write the pronoun "I", so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 我 →

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

  • 彳彳chì
  • 亍亍chù

The shape of 行 originally showed a street intersection, even on both sides. Later it became uneven, with 彳 on the left and 亍 on the right.

Open 行 →

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.

The glyph 我 originally drew a trident-like weapon. It was borrowed purely for its sound to write the pronoun "I", so the picture and the meaning are unrelated.

Open 我 →

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

The shape of 素 came from a picture of hands braiding thread.

Open 素 →
Appears in
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