📖 Meaning
To have an exaggeratedly high opinion of oneself. It describes someone who is arrogantly conceited and looks down on everyone else, refusing to acknowledge others' worth or abilities.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the 'Book of Later Han' (《后汉书·马援传》), specifically the biography of Ma Yuan, a famous Eastern Han dynasty general. When Ma Yuan visited the warlord Gongsun Shu (courtesy name Ziyang) who had declared himself emperor in Shu, Ma Yuan remarked that Ziyang was like a frog at the bottom of a well—blind to the wider world—yet presumptuously elevated himself above others. Ma Yuan concluded it would be better to focus attention on the east, where Emperor Guangwu of Han held power. The phrase thus became a lasting metaphor for baseless self-aggrandizement.
💡 Example Usage
他刚取得一点成绩就妄自尊大，连老前辈的话都听不进去了。
After achieving just a little success, he grew arrogantly conceited and wouldn't even listen to the veterans' advice.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 妄自尊大
- Pinyin: wàng zì zūn dà
- Literal Translation: recklessly, self, esteem, great
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4