自封 (zì fēng) — to proclaim oneself (as), to style oneself (as) — often with a negative tone of unearned self-appointment; to confine oneself, to isolate oneself (from the outside world)
Definition
Self-applied label, usually flattering ('a great master') and almost always implying the title is unearned. The 'oneself' here is the agent — '自' is the subject, not a self-imposed restriction.
verb
to proclaim oneself (as), to style oneself (as) — often with a negative tone of unearned self-appointmentto confine oneselfto isolate oneself (from the outside world)
Examples
- 自封“”，。Tā zì fēng wèi "guó xué dà shī", qí shí shuǐ píng yì bān.He styles himself a 'master of Chinese studies', but his level is average.
- 自封，。Yí gè guó jiā rú guǒ zì fēng, jiù huì cuò guò fā zhǎn jī huì.If a country isolates itself, it will miss out on development opportunities.
- 自封，。Bú yào zì fēng wèi yì shù jiā, zuò pǐn cái shì zuì hǎo de zhèng míng.Don't style yourself an artist; the work itself is the best proof.
Origin
Appears in
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