招摇过市

招搖過市

zhāoyáoguòshì

idiom #26,099

Meanings

1 to swagger through the streets
2 to show off in public
3 to flaunt oneself ostentatiously

Characters

to beckon, to attract attention

to shake, to sway

to pass through

market, city streets

Examples

他开着豪车在街上招摇过市。

Tā kāizhe háochē zài jiē shàng zhāoyáoguòshì.

He swaggered through the streets in his luxury car.

不要拿着大量现金招摇过市，很危险。

Bùyào názhe dàliàng xiànjīn zhāoyáoguòshì, hěn wēixiǎn.

Don't flaunt large amounts of cash in public — it's dangerous.

Tips

memory

招摇 means to show off/swagger, and 过市 means to pass through the market/streets — the full idiom paints a picture of someone making a spectacle of themselves in public.

Stroke Order

招 zhāo

摇 yáo

过 guò

市 shì