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自负 (zì fù) — (adjective) conceited, arrogant; (verb) to take responsibility (for consequences), to bear

Definition

自负 has two unrelated senses: as an adjective, 'conceited, arrogant' — similar to 骄傲's negative sense but implies overrating oneself; as a verb, 'to bear (consequences/results yourself)' — narrower than 负责, used when one alone takes the outcome.

adjective
conceitedarrogant
verb
to take responsibility (for consequences)to bear

Examples

  • 自负，。
    Tā zhè ge rén tài zì fù le, shuí de huà dōu tīng bú jìn qù.
    He is too conceited to listen to anyone.
  • 自负。
    Yí qiè hòu guǒ yóu nǐ zì fù.
    You will bear all the consequences.
  • 自负。
    zì fù De rén wǎng wǎng kàn bú dào zì jǐ de quē diǎn.
    Conceited people often fail to see their own shortcomings.

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zìself
负fùbear

自 ('self') and 负 ('bear') combine as the self bearing consequences, hence to take responsibility.

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 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 負; 负 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 負 combines 人 (person) and 貝 (cowry), with 人 written as ⺈; the simplified 负 is a later abbreviation.

Open 负 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Personality & Traits

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