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妄自菲薄

wàngzìfěibó
idiom #39,662

Meanings

  1. 1 to undervalue oneself
  2. 2 to be unduly humble
  3. 3 to put oneself down without reason

Examples

你能力很强，不要妄自菲薄。
Nǐ nénglì hěn qiáng, bùyào wàngzìfěibó.
You're very capable — don't sell yourself short.
面对挑战，既不要妄自菲薄，也不能盲目自信。
Miànduì tiǎozhàn, jì bùyào wàngzìfěibó, yě bùnéng mángmù zìxìn.
Facing a challenge, don't underestimate yourself but don't be blindly overconfident either.
她总是妄自菲薄，其实成绩很优秀。
Tā zǒngshì wàngzìfěibó, qíshí chéngjì hěn yōuxiù.
She's always putting herself down, but her results are actually excellent.

Tips

history
Coined by 诸葛亮 in 《前出师表》 (Three Kingdoms): 不宜妄自菲薄，引喻失义 — Liu Shan is warned not to belittle himself or use the wrong examples in court speech.
mistakes
菲 here is read fěi (third tone) meaning 'meager.' It's NOT the fēi of 菲律宾 (Philippines).

Stroke Order

妄 wàng
自 zì
菲 fēi
薄 báo