📖 Meaning
As if there is no one beside oneself. Describes someone acting with arrogant self-assurance, completely disregarding the people around them. Can also convey being so absorbed in an activity that one is oblivious to one's surroundings.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom originates from the 'Book of the Later Han' (《后汉书》), compiled by the Southern Dynasty historian Fan Ye, in the biography of the Eastern Han scholar-official Yan Du. The passage cites two historical figures: Gao Jianli, who played the zhu (a stringed instrument) as though no one were beside him, and Gao Feng, who was so absorbed in reading that he failed to notice a torrential rainstorm. Yan Du used these examples to illustrate wholehearted dedication to one's craft. Over time the phrase broadened to also describe a haughty, self-assured demeanor that ignores others.
💡 Example Usage
他在宴会上高谈阔论，傍若无人，完全不顾及旁人的感受。
At the banquet he talked loudly and boldly as if no one else were present, completely disregarding the feelings of those around him.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 傍若无人
- Pinyin: páng ruò wú rén
- Literal Translation: beside, as if, no one
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4