昂首 (áng shǒu) — to hold one's head high (as a gesture of pride, confidence, or defiance)

Definition

Literary verb meaning 'to hold one's head high' — used in writing or speeches to describe a proud, confident posture or attitude. Often pairs with 挺胸 or 阔步, as in 昂首挺胸 and 昂首阔步.

verb
to hold one's head high (as a gesture of pride, confidence, or defiance)

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā áng shǒu tǐng xiōng, dà bù zǒu jìn le huì chǎng.
    He walked into the venue with his head high and chest out.
  • ，。
    Shī bài hòu tā yī rán áng qǐ shǒu, jì xù nǔ lì.
    After failure, she still held her head high and kept working hard.
  • ，。
    Zhàn shì men áng shǒu kuò bù, jiē shòu jiǎn yuè.
    The soldiers marched with heads high and broad steps, receiving the review.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

昂ángraise
首shǒuhead

昂 means to lift, and 首 names the head, so the image is lifting the head proudly.

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
日日rìsun
Sound part声符shēngfú
卬
卬áng昂áng
Same sound today

昂 pairs 日 (sun) with 卬, a drawing of a standing man and a kneeling man that gives the sound.

Open 昂 →

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

The shape comes from an old drawing of an animal's head, showing a long mouth and horns; the version with hair became 首.

Open 首 →

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