📖 Meaning
To willfully degrade oneself and give up all hope of self-improvement. It describes a person who, after setbacks or failures, loses confidence entirely and stops making any effort to better their situation.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the philosophical work 'Mengzi' (孟子), attributed to the Warring States period philosopher Mencius. Mencius wrote that a person who cannot be moved by words and who lacks the determination to cultivate goodness is '自暴者' (one who does violence to himself). He contrasted this with '自弃者' (one who abandons himself), stating that to forsake one's own moral nature is the greatest of self-destruction.
💡 Example Usage
遇到一点挫折就自暴自弃，这样永远也无法成功。
Giving up on yourself at the first sign of setback means you will never succeed.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 自暴自弃
- Pinyin: zì bào zì qì
- Literal Translation: self, harm, self, abandon
- Category: Attitude
- Characters: 4