HSK · Level 97
45 words
Chinese word
得意扬扬
Pronunciation
Pinyindé yì yáng yáng
Meaning
- adjectiveproud of oneself
Example
得意扬扬地举起奖状。dé yì yáng yáng dì jú qǐ jiǎng zhuàng
They proudly held up the certificate.
More examples
她得意扬扬地向父母炫耀自己的新成果。tā dé yì yáng yáng dì xiàng fù mǔ xuàn yào zì jǐ de xīn chéng guǒ
She proudly showed off her new achievement to her parents.
Core concept
Success shows plainly in a person's face and manner, with pride swelling into a somewhat smug display.
Common phrases
得意扬扬的神情dé yì yáng yáng de shén qíng
a smug expression
得意扬扬地向父母炫耀dé yì yáng yáng dì xiàng fù mǔ xuàn yào
proudly show off to one's parents
Similar words
得意dé yì: Pleased and confident because of a successful result, with that feeling visible in the manner.
得意洋洋dé yì yáng yáng: Openly and exuberantly pleased with a success, with pride plainly showing.
骄傲jiāo ào: Proud of personal ability or position in a way that can appear overbearing.
自满zì mǎn: Too satisfied with personal strengths or results to seek further improvement.
Definition in Chinese
表示因某事成功或获利而露出自满或得意表情的状态，多用于口语，可作定语、表语，或与“地”连用作状语。biǎo shì yīn mǒu shì chéng gōng huò huò lì ér lù chū zì mǎn huò dé yì biǎo qíng de zhuàng tài duō yòng yú kóu yǔ kě zuò dìng yǔ biáo yǔ huò yǔ dì lián yòng zuò zhuàng yǔ
Word origin
The idiom combines 得意 (déyì, "self-satisfied") with 洋洋 (yángyáng, "overflowing"), and 得意扬扬 (déyìyángyáng, "smugly pleased") is a variant form.
Usage tips
- English proud often sounds neutral or positive, whereas this conversational expression can suggest that success has made someone too self-satisfied.