Chinese word

自暴自弃

Pronunciation

Pinyinzì bào zì qì

Meaning

  • verbgive up on oneself

Example

丢了工作后，他就自暴自弃了。diū le gōng zuò hòu tā jiù zì bào zì qì le

After losing his job, he gave up on himself.

Illustration for 自暴自弃 (give up on oneself)

More examples

考试失利后，她一度有点自暴自弃，后来家人鼓励她继续努力。kǎo shì shī lì hòu tā yí dù yóu diǎn zì bào zì qì hòu lái jiā rén gǔ lì tā jì xù nǔ lì

After failing the exam, she briefly felt like giving up on herself, but her family encouraged her to keep trying.

Core concept

A person lets a setback destroy the effort and self-control that normally guide life.

Common phrases

  • 别自暴自弃bié zì bào zì qì

    don't give up on yourself

  • 有点自暴自弃yóu diǎn zì bào zì qì

    feel a little like giving up on yourself

Similar words

放弃fàng qì: Stop pursuing a goal or plan and make no further effort toward it.
灰心huī xīn: Lose motivation after failure or difficulty and stop wanting to keep trying.
绝望jué wàng: Have no hope left and believe that a good result is impossible.

Definition in Chinese

因遭受打击或失望而放弃自我约束和努力，转而沉溺于消极情绪或放纵行为。yīn zāo shòu dǎ jī huò shī wàng ér fàng qì zì wǒ yuē shù hé nǔ lì zhuǎn ér chén nì yú xiāo jí qíng xù huò fàng zòng xíng wéi

Word origin

In classical usage, 自暴 (zìbào, "damage oneself") and 自弃 (zìqì, "abandon oneself") formed a paired expression that developed into the modern idiom for a person's collapse after disappointment.

Usage tips

  • The verb fits both a short reaction to a setback and a longer decline, so context determines whether it describes a temporary turn or an established pattern.

Other meanings

  • despairverb
  • act recklesslyverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word