Chinese word

逞能

Pronunciation

Pinyinchěng néng

Meaning

  • verbshow off

Example

他总爱逞能，其实不懂。tā zǒng ài chěng néng qí shí bù dǒng

He always likes to show off, but he actually doesn't understand.

Illustration for 逞能 (show off)

More examples

比赛中有些人为面子而逞能，结果影响了团队表现。bǐ sài zhōng yǒu xiē rén wéi miàn zi ér chěng néng jié guǒ yíng xiǎng le tuán duì biǎo xiàn

During the competition, some people showed off to save face, and this affected the team's performance.

Core concept

A display tries to win respect by making limited skill or courage look greater than it is.

Common phrases

  • 在关键时刻逞能zài guān jiàn shí kè chěng néng

    show off at a crucial moment

  • 逞能冒险chěng néng mào xiǎn

    take risks to show off

Similar words

逞强chěng qiáng: Putting on a brave or strong front even when real strength is not enough.
卖弄mài nòng: Flaunting knowledge or technique to impress people.
装腔作势zhuāng qiāng zuò shì: Adopting exaggerated behavior or expressions to look more powerful than one really is.
吹牛chuī niú: Boasting in speech by overstating ability or experience.

Definition in Chinese

故意表现出比实际更强的能力或勇气，带有虚张声势和逞强的贬义。gù yì biǎo xiàn chū bǐ shí jì gèng qiáng de néng lì huò yǒng qì dài yǒu xū zhāng shēng shì hé chěng qiáng de biǎn yì

Word origin

逞能 (chěngnéng, "to display ability") is formed from 逞 (chěng, "to show off or act strong") and 能 (néng, "ability"), making its negative judgment easy to connect with the act of showing ability.

Usage tips

  • English can describe the display of a real skill without criticism, but this Chinese verb usually casts doubt on the performance or the motive behind it.

Other meanings

  • boastverb
  • bluffverb
  • flauntverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word