自鸣得意

自鳴得意
zìmíngdéyì
idiom #20,431

Meanings

  1. 1 smugly self-satisfied
  2. 2 to think highly of oneself
  3. 3 to pat oneself on the back

Examples

Tā kǎole dì yī míng, biàn kāishǐ zìmíngdéyì, bù zài nǔlì xuéxí.
After coming first, he became smugly self-satisfied and stopped studying hard.
Bié zìmíngdéyì le, hái yǒu hěn duō xūyào gǎijìn de dìfāng.
Stop patting yourself on the back — there's still a lot that needs improvement.

Tips

memory
(self) + (make a sound / crow) + 得意 (proud / pleased). Picture a rooster crowing about its own achievements — crowing at itself. That smug self-congratulation is the heart of this idiom.

Stroke Order

míng