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洋洋得意

yángyáng-déyì
idiom #32,410

Meanings

  1. 1 immensely pleased with oneself
  2. 2 smug
  3. 3 complacent and self-satisfied

Examples

HSK 2
他考了第一名，洋洋得意了好几天。
Tā kǎo le dìyī míng, yángyáng-déyì le hǎojǐ tiān.
He came first in the exam and walked around insufferably pleased with himself for days.
HSK 6
别洋洋得意，事情还没完呢。
Bié yángyáng-déyì, shìqing hái méiwán ne.
Don't get smug - this isn't over yet.

Tips

history
From the Records of the Grand Historian (《史记·管晏列传》), describing the carriage-driver of Qi prime minister Yan Ying: 意气扬扬，甚自得也 - 'his spirit was puffed-up, he was very self-satisfied.' Yan Ying's wife saw her husband's driver acting this way and demanded a divorce, ashamed to be married to such a small-souled man. The phrase 洋洋得意 derives from this 扬扬 self-satisfaction.
usage
Negative connotation - used to criticize someone's smugness, never to compliment them. Often paired with verbs like 显出 (display) or 露出 (let show). A close synonym is 沾沾自喜 (zhānzhānzìxǐ).

Stroke Order

洋 yáng
得 de
意 yì