旁若无人 (páng ruò wú rén) — (idiom) to act as if no one else is present; to be arrogantly self-absorbed

Definition

Idiom for acting as if no one else exists — arrogantly self-absorbed, ignoring others' presence or feelings. A stronger, more literary image than everyday words like 目中无人.

idiom
to act as if no one else is presentto be arrogantly self-absorbed

Examples

  • 旁若无人，。
    Tā shuō huà shí páng ruò wú rén, gēn běn bù kǎo lǜ bié rén de gǎn shòu.
    When he speaks, he acts as if no one else is present, completely disregarding others' feelings.
  • 旁若无人。
    Nà ge míng xīng zài gōng gòng chǎng hé páng ruò wú rén de yàng zi ràng fěn sī hěn shī wàng.
    That celebrity's arrogant demeanor in public disappointed the fans.
  • 旁若无人，。
    Tā páng ruò wú rén dì zǒu jìn huì yì shì, lián mén dōu méi qiāo.
    He walked into the meeting room as if no one were there, without even knocking.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
同同tóng
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng旁páng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 旁, 方 is the lower part and gives the sound. The upper part is unclear and may have been part of the meaning.

Open 旁 →

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

若 began as a picture of a person combing their hair, associated with obedience.

Open 若 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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