洋洋自得 (yáng yáng zì dé) — to be immensely pleased with oneself; to be smug; to be complacent

Definition

A four-character idiom meaning to be smug or complacently self-satisfied, often about a minor success. It carries a negative, cautionary tone — like '别那么洋洋自得' warning someone not to get a big head.

verb
to be immensely pleased with oneselfto be smugto be complacent

Examples

  • 洋洋自得。
    Tā yīn wèi kǎo le dì yī míng ér yáng yáng zì dé.
    He was immensely pleased with himself for getting first place in the exam.
  • 洋洋自得，。
    Bié nà me yáng yáng zì dé, xià cì nǐ kě néng huì shū.
    Don't be so smug; you might lose next time.
  • 洋洋自得。
    Tā yáng yáng zì dé dì jiǎng shù le zì jǐ de chéng jiù.
    He complacently recounted his own achievements.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
羊
羊yáng洋yáng
Same sound today

洋 pairs 氵, the water part, with 羊 to give its sound.

Open 洋 →

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
羊
羊yáng洋yáng
Same sound today

洋 pairs 氵, the water part, with 羊 to give its sound.

Open 洋 →

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.

Open 自 →

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

The old form 㝵 showed a hand picking up a cowry, meaning to obtain; later changes turned that picture into 得.

Open 得 →

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