自暴自弃

自暴自棄

zìbào-zìqì

idiom #17,024

Meanings

1 to abandon oneself to despair; to give up on oneself; to be self-destructive

Characters

violent; to abuse; to waste

to abandon; to discard

Literally 'abuse oneself and abandon oneself' - to completely give up on one's own future.

Examples

HSK 4

不要自暴自弃，一切都还有希望。

Búyào zìbào-zìqì, yíqiè dōu hái yǒu xīwàng.

Don't give up on yourself - there's still hope for everything.

HSK 5

失败了不可怕，可怕的是自暴自弃。

Shībài le bù kěpà, kěpà de shì zìbào-zìqì.

Failure isn't frightening - what's frightening is giving up on yourself.

HSK 5

他失恋之后开始自暴自弃。

Tā shīliàn zhīhòu kāishǐ zìbào-zìqì.

After his breakup, he started to let himself go.

Tips

history

From Mencius (《孟子》): 自暴者 means one who harms themselves through reckless speech, and 自弃者 means one who abandons any effort at goodness. Combined, it describes total self-destructive resignation.

Stroke Order

自 zì

暴 bào

弃 qì