自暴自弃

1. Basic Information

• Pinyin: zì qiáng bù xī
• English Translation: Giving up on oneself (Self-abandonment)
• Idiom Composition: 「自」（Self）＋「暴」（To mistreat or harm (here meaning to treat oneself with contempt)）＋「自」（Self）＋「弃」（To abandon or cast aside）
• Meaning: To give up on oneself and lose the will to improve after facing failures or setbacks. It describes a state where one treats themselves poorly and sinks into despair or degradation.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「自暴自弃」 contains the following nuances:

• Self-Negation and Resignation: This term refers to a psychological state where one doesn't just feel sad, but actively decides 'I am no good' and abandons all effort to improve.
• Impact on Behavior: When in this state, a person may lead a messy life, engage in irresponsible actions, or become completely lethargic.

3. Usage

「自暴自弃」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

• Encouragement and Advice: Used when advising someone who is depressed after a failure not to give up or treat themselves poorly.
  • Example:「一次失败不算什么，你千万不要自暴自弃。」
    （One failure is nothing; you must never give up on yourself.）
• Describing a State of Despair: Used to critically or sympathetically describe someone who has lost hope and is living a degraded life.
  • Example:「自从失业后，他就开始酗酒，整天自暴自弃。」
    （Since losing his job, he started drinking and has been wallowing in self-abandonment all day.）

Additional Examples:

1. 无论遇到多大的困难，我们都不能自暴自弃。
   （No matter how great the difficulty, we cannot give up on ourselves.）
2. 他并没有因为身体的残疾而自暴自弃，反而更加努力生活。
   （He didn't give up on himself because of his physical disability; instead, he works even harder at life.）
3. 看着他那自暴自弃的样子，朋友们都很痛心。
   （Seeing his self-destructive state, his friends are all very distressed.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

• Originates from the Mencius (孟子), in the chapter Li Lou I (离娄上). The original text states: 'Those who harm themselves (自暴者) cannot be spoken with; those who abandon themselves (自弃者) cannot be acted with.'
• In the original context, Mencius (孟子) was referring to people who reject the concepts of Benevolence (仁) and Righteousness (义). In modern usage, the meaning has broadened to describe anyone who gives up on their own life or goals.
• While the English concept of 'self-abandonment' can sometimes be purely emotional, the Chinese idiom 自暴自弃 (zì bào zì qì) strongly emphasizes the resulting lack of ambition and the refusal to strive for a better version of oneself.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

• Similar Idioms:
  • 破罐破摔 (pò guàn pò shuāi): Literally 'to smash a cracked pot'; to let a bad situation go to ruin because one has already given up. This is more colloquial than 自暴自弃 (zì bào zì qì).
  • 妄自菲薄 (wàng zì fěi bó): To have an unnecessarily low opinion of oneself; often seen as the stage of low self-esteem that leads to self-abandonment.
  • 得过且过 (dé guò qiě guò): To muddle through, taking one day at a time without much thought for the future.link
  • 无所作为 (wú suǒ zuò wéi): To accomplish nothing; to be inactive and make no contribution.link
• Opposite Idioms:
  • 自强不息 (zì qiáng bù xī): To constantly strive for self-improvement and never stop working hard.link
  • 发愤图强 (fā fèn tú qiáng): To be determined to work hard and make oneself or one's country strong.link

6. Summary

The idiom 自暴自弃 (zì bào zì qì) describes the act of abandoning one's own potential and moral growth. While it can imply self-destructive behavior, it often focuses on the loss of the will to try or improve. It is very frequently used in the negative form, 不要自暴自弃 (bù yào zì bào zì qì), as a way to encourage someone not to lose hope.