📖 Meaning
To hold oneself in excessively high regard; to set oneself up as exceptional. It describes someone who boastfully elevates their own worth or abilities above others. Same meaning as 高自标置.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from the New Book of Tang (新唐书), in the biography of Wang Yifang (王义方), a Tang dynasty scholar-official known for his blunt and upright character. The text describes him as deeply versed in the classics and by nature outspoken and unconventional, 'setting himself up on high' rather than following the conventions of his time. The idiom thus arose from a portrait of a proud, self-regarding scholar.
💡 Example Usage
他才做了一点小事，便高自标树，旁人都不放在眼里。
He had barely accomplished anything, yet he set himself up as exceptional and looked down on everyone around him.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 高自标树
- Pinyin: gāo zì biāo shù
- Literal Translation: high, self, set up,树立
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4