Chinese word

自满

Pronunciation

Pinyinzì mǎn

Meaning

  • nouncomplacency

Example

他的自满影响了学习。tā de zì mǎn yíng xiǎng le xué xí

His complacency affected his studies.

Illustration for 自满 (complacency)

More examples

不要对一次成功产生自满。bú yào duì yí cì chéng gōng chǎn shēng zì mǎn

Do not become complacent after one success.

Core concept

A person rests on past success as though the container is already full, so the drive to improve fades.

Common phrases

  • 避免自满bì miǎn zì mǎn

    avoid complacency

  • 对自满保持警惕duì zì mǎn bǎo chí jǐng tì

    be wary of complacency

Similar words

骄傲jiāo ào: A sense of pride in one's own merits, often shown through self-praise.
自负zì fù: The tendency to think oneself superior without enough evidence.
自得zì dé: A pleased, joyful feeling about one's own conduct or present state.

Definition in Chinese

因对已有成绩或状态感到满足而放松要求、不再追求进步的心理或行为表现。yīn duì yí yǒu chéng jì huò zhuàng tài gǎn dào mǎn zú ér fàng sōng yāo qiú bú zài zhuī qiú jìn bù de xīn lǐ huò xíng wéi biǎo xiàn

Word origin

自满 (zìmǎn, "complacency") combines 自 (zì, "self") and 满 (mǎn, "full"), presenting a person as filled with self-satisfaction and less open to improvement.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may hear self-satisfaction as fairly neutral, but 自满 (zìmǎn, "complacency") usually signals that satisfaction has become an obstacle to progress.

Other meanings

  • conceitnoun

Word lists with this word