📖 Meaning
To be smugly self-satisfied and visibly pleased with oneself. It describes someone who shows off an air of triumphant complacency, as if overflowing with pride over their own achievements or perceived superiority.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom is a variant of the earlier expression 洋洋得意 (yáng yáng dé yì), which dates back to classical Chinese literature where 洋洋 originally conveyed a sense of overflowing abundance or sweeping grandeur. Over time the phrase came to characterize the inflated, self-congratulatory demeanor of someone basking in their own success. No single definitive source text is attributed to 洋洋自得 specifically; it evolved as a colloquial refinement of the older form, emphasizing the inward, self-regarding quality of the satisfaction.
💡 Example Usage
他考了第一名后便洋洋自得，走路都昂着头。
After placing first in the exam, he grew smugly self-satisfied and walked around with his head held high.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 洋洋自得
- Pinyin: yáng yáng zì dé
- Literal Translation: ocean-like, ocean-like, self, satisfied
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4