摇头晃脑 (yáo tóu huàng nǎo) — to nod and shake one's head smugly; a self-satisfied demeanor

Definition

An idiom for bobbing and swaying one's head with a smug, self-satisfied air. Carries a negative tone — the person looks pleased with themselves, often annoyingly so.

idiom
to nod and shake one's head smuglya self-satisfied demeanor

Examples

  • 摇头晃脑，。
    Tā bèi shī de shí hou zǒng ài yáo tóu huàng nǎo, yí fù dé yì de yàng zi.
    When reciting poetry, he always likes to nod and shake his head smugly, looking very pleased with himself.
  • ，摇头晃脑，。
    Lǎo bǎn tīng le tā nà ge bú tài gāo míng de diǎn zi, zhǐ shì yáo tóu huàng nǎo xiào le xiào, shén me yě méi shuō.
    The boss heard his not-so-brilliant idea and just nodded and shook his head with a smug smile, without saying anything.
  • ，摇头晃脑。
    Jiǔ guò bàn xún, zhè wèi lǎo xiān sheng yòu kāi shǐ yáo tóu huàng nǎo dì jiǎng qǐ zì jǐ de guāng huī lì shǐ.
    Halfway through the drinks, this old gentleman started nodding and shaking his head smugly as he recounted his glorious past.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

摇头shake the head
摇yáoshake头tóuhead
动宾Verb + object
晃脑sway the brain
晃huàngsway脑nǎobrain
动宾Verb + object

“摇头晃脑” shakes the head and sways the brain in self-satisfied nodding.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 摇 →

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 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu頭tóu
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

Open 头 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 晃 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 腦; 脑 is its simplified writing.

  • 匕匕bǐ
  • 巛巛chuānhair
  • 囟囟xìnhead; fontanel

In the traditional form 腦, the older part 匕 was replaced by a flesh part, while 巛 (hair) and 囟 (head; fontanel) stayed. The simplified 脑 is a later abbreviation.

Open 脑 →

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