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自命不凡 (zì mìng bù fán) — (idiom) to think exceptionally well of oneself; to be self-important

Definition

A four-character idiom for someone who considers themselves extraordinary — self-important and full of unwarranted pride, with a negative, critical tone.

idiom
to think exceptionally well of oneselfto be self-important

Examples

  • 自命不凡，。
    Tā zǒng shì yí fù zì mìng bù fán de yàng zi, ràng rén hěn bù shū fu.
    He always has a self-important look that makes people uncomfortable.
  • 自命不凡，。
    Nà ge nián qīng rén gāng yǒu diǎn chéng jì jiù zì mìng bù fán, shí zài kě xiào.
    That young man started thinking highly of himself as soon as he achieved a little — it's really laughable.
  • ，自命不凡。
    Tā zhè ge rén hěn qiān xū, cóng bú zì mìng bù fán.
    He is a very humble person and never thinks too highly of himself.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

自zìoneself
命不凡consider oneself extraordinary
命mìngconsider不bùnot凡fánordinary
动宾Verb + object

自 refers to oneself, and 命不凡 means considering oneself not ordinary, giving the sense of thinking highly of oneself.

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.

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 →

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng命mìng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

命 combines 口, a mouth, with 令, which gives the sound.

Open 命 →

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Open 不 →

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

Open 凡 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesPersonality & Traits

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