📖 Meaning
To rely on one's own talent and look down upon everyone else with arrogance. It describes a person who is so proud of their abilities that they treat others with contempt. This attitude often leads to social isolation and missed opportunities.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom first appears in the Qing dynasty work 'Meisou's Chronicle, Year 58 of the Kangxi Reign' (《眉叟年谱·康熙五十八年》) by Xu Qia (许洽). The text records the deaths of several contemporaries — Wang Fengchi, Chen Siluo, and Zhang Zifu — each of whom died in official posts, and describes them all as 'men who relied on their talent and despised others' (负才傲物者). The chronicler notes their physical frailty and obscure circumstances at death, implying that their arrogance may have led to their downfall or lonely ends. The idiom was thus coined to warn against the self-destructive nature of talent-fueled pride.
💡 Example Usage
他负才傲物，年纪轻轻便得罪了所有人。
Relying on his talent and despising others, he managed to offend everyone at a young age.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 负才傲物
- Pinyin: fù cái ào wù
- Literal Translation: relying on talent, arrogant toward others
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4