每天成语
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自暴自弃

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

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

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.

Idiom Essay

zì bào zì qì
自暴自弃
Giving Up on Oneself
zài在zhè ge这个shì jiè世界shàng上，shī bài失败qí shí其实bìng并bù不kě pà可怕。

In this world, failure is actually not scary.

zhēn zhèng真正kě pà可怕de的，wǎng wǎng往往shì是wǒ men我们miàn duì面对shī bài失败shí时de的tài dù态度。

What is truly scary is often our attitude when facing failure.

dāng当nǐ你yù dào遇到cuò zhé挫折，huò zhě或者fàn犯le了yí gè一个hěn很dà大de的cuò wù错误shí时，nǐ你huì会zěn me怎么zuò做？

When you encounter setbacks or make a major mistake, what do you do?

yǒu xiē有些rén人huì会xiǎng想bàn fǎ办法mí bǔ弥补，dàn但yě也yǒu有yī xiē一些shí hòu时候，yī zhǒng一种gèng更hēi àn黑暗de的qíng xù情绪huì会yǒng shàng xīn tóu涌上心头。

Some people find ways to make amends, but there are times when a darker emotion wells up in the heart.

nǐ你huì会jué de觉得：“suàn le算了，fǎn zhèng反正wǒ我yǐ jīng已经gǎo zá搞砸le了，méi jiù没救le了，nà那jiù就ràng让tā它gèng更làn烂yì diǎn一点ba吧。”

You might think: "Forget it, I've already messed up anyway, it's hopeless, so let's just let it get even worse."

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个fēi cháng非常chén zhòng沉重de的chéng yǔ成语，zhuān mén专门yòng lái用来miáo shù描述zhè zhǒng这种xīn lǐ心理zhuàng tài状态，jiào zuò叫做“zì bào zì qì自暴自弃”。

In Chinese, there is a very heavy idiom specifically used to describe this psychological state, called 自暴自弃.

zhè这sì gè四个zì字，qí shí其实shì是liǎng gè两个dòng zuò动作de的zǔ hé组合。

These four characters are actually a combination of two actions.

“zì bào自暴”，yì si意思shì是nǐ你zì jǐ自己zāo tà糟蹋zì jǐ自己、shāng hài伤害zì jǐ自己；“zì qì自弃”，yì si意思shì是nǐ你zì jǐ自己xián qì嫌弃zì jǐ自己，bǎ把zì jǐ自己xiàng像lā jī垃圾yī yàng一样diū diào丢掉。

自暴 means you ruin and harm yourself; 自弃 means you despise yourself and throw yourself away like trash.

bǎ把tā men它们lián连qǐ lái起来，“zì bào zì qì自暴自弃”jiù shì shuō就是说：yí gè一个rén人yīn wèi因为zāo shòu遭受le了dǎ jī打击，huò zhě或者duì对zì jǐ自己gǎn dào感到shī wàng失望，yú shì于是suǒ xìng索性pò guàn zi pò shuāi破罐子破摔，bù zài不再nǔ lì努力，shèn zhì甚至gù yì故意ràng让zì jǐ自己wǎng往gèng更huài坏de的fāng xiàng方向huá luò滑落。

Putting them together, 自暴自弃 means that because a person has suffered a blow or feels disappointed in themselves, they simply give up, stop trying, and even intentionally let themselves slide in a worse direction.

wǒ men我们hěn很róng yì容易zài在shēng huó生活zhōng中kàn dào看到zhè zhǒng这种zhuàng tài状态de的yǐng zi影子。

We can easily see shadows of this state in life.

bǐ rú比如，yí gè一个rén人yīn wèi因为yī cì一次kǎo shì考试méi没kǎo hǎo考好，jiù就jué de觉得zì jǐ自己bèn笨，cóng cǐ从此zài yě再也bù不tīng kè听课，shèn zhì甚至kāi shǐ开始táo xué逃学；huò zhě或者，yí gè一个rén人zài在gǎn qíng感情zhōng中shòu受le了shāng伤，jiù就kāi shǐ开始bù xiū biān fú不修边幅，bào yǐn bào shí暴饮暴食，bù zài不再ài xī爱惜zì jǐ自己de的shēn tǐ身体。

For example, someone might feel they are stupid because of one bad exam grade, so they stop listening in class or even start skipping school; or someone hurt in a relationship might stop grooming themselves, overeat, and no longer cherish their body.

zhè这zhèng shì正是“zì bào zì qì自暴自弃”zuì最ràng让rén人nán guò难过de的dì fāng地方。

This is exactly the saddest part of 自暴自弃.

wài jiè外界de的kùn nán困难yě xǔ也许zhǐ shì只是zàn shí暂时de的，dàn但dāng当nǐ你kāi shǐ开始“zì bào zì qì自暴自弃”shí时，nǐ你qí shí其实shì是biàn chéng变成le了zì jǐ自己de的dí rén敌人。

External difficulties may be temporary, but when you start to 自暴自弃, you have actually become your own enemy.

nǐ你zhǔ dòng主动qiē duàn切断le了suǒ yǒu所有biàn hǎo变好de的kě néng xìng可能性。

You actively cut off all possibilities of getting better.

gǔ rén古人shuō说zhè ge这个cí词，wǎng wǎng往往dài带zhe着yī zhǒng一种tòng xī痛惜。

When ancient people used this term, it was often with a sense of deep regret.

yīn wèi因为zài在tā men他们kàn lái看来，yí gè一个rén人zuì最dà大de的bēi āi悲哀，bú shì不是néng lì能力bù zú不足，ér shì而是zì jǐ自己fàng qì放弃le了zì jǐ自己。

Because in their view, the greatest tragedy for a person is not a lack of ability, but giving up on oneself.

suǒ yǐ所以，liǎo jiě了解zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语，yě xǔ也许shì是wèi le为了tí xǐng提醒wǒ men我们zì jǐ自己：dāng当wǒ men我们diē dǎo跌倒de的shí hòu时候，gǎn dào感到tòng kǔ痛苦shì是zhèng cháng正常de的，xiǎng yào想要xiū xī休息yě也shì是kě yǐ可以de的。

Therefore, understanding this idiom is perhaps to remind ourselves: when we fall, it is normal to feel pain, and it is okay to want to rest.

dàn但qǐng请jì de记得，wú lùn无论qíng kuàng情况duō多zāo gāo糟糕，dōu都bú yào不要zhàn站zài在kùn nán困难nà那yī biān一边lái来gōng jī攻击zì jǐ自己。

But please remember, no matter how bad the situation is, do not stand on the side of the difficulty to attack yourself.

zhǐ yào只要bù不“zì bào zì qì自暴自弃”，gù shì故事jiù就hái yǒu还有zhuǎn zhé转折de的jī huì机会。

As long as you do not 自暴自弃, there is still a chance for a turning point in the story.

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