收敛

收斂

shōuliǎn

verb HSK 7-9 #11,921

Meanings

你收敛一点，别太张扬。

Nǐ shōuliǎn yīdiǎn, bié tài zhāngyáng.

Restrain yourself a bit, don't be so showy.

他在领导面前收敛了很多。

Tā zài lǐngdǎo miànqián shōuliǎn le hěnduō.

He toned himself down a lot in front of the boss.

usage

收敛 often implies someone should stop being arrogant or excessive. In math/science, it means 'to converge' (e.g. a series).

memory

收 (collect) + 敛 (gather in) — picture pulling your energy back inward, restraining yourself.

收 shōu

敛 liǎn