Idiom: 沾沾自喜 (Zhānzhān zìxǐ)
Literal Meaning: “To be self-satisfied, To be complacent, To be complacent”
Explanation: This idiom describes that to be overly pleased with oneself or smug after achieving something minor.
Chinese Idiom Stories
The Proud Peacock
There once was a peacock in the forest who had beautiful feathers. Every day when the sun came out, he would spread his tail feathers under the tree and admire his beauty. He was very proud of his feathers and always looked down on the other animals.
One day, the peacock met an ugly toad. The peacock looked at the toad with contempt and said, “How ugly you are! Look at me, how beautiful I am!” The toad was not angry at all, but just smiled and said, “Your feathers are indeed beautiful, but beauty is not everything. You should be more humble.”
The peacock was angry when he heard what the toad said and thought, “How dare an ugly toad teach me a lesson?” So, he continued to proudly show off his feathers.
Later, many animals came to the forest, and they all praised the peacock’s feathers. The peacock was even more proud and arrogant. At this time, an eagle flew over from the sky. When it saw the peacock spreading its tail feathers, it suddenly swooped down and grabbed the peacock’s tail. The peacock screamed in fright, and its beautiful feathers scattered all over the ground.
Moral of the story:
This story tells us that people should not be too proud and arrogant, otherwise they will bring misfortune upon themselves. We should be humble and modest, and learn from others in order to make continuous progress.
驕傲的孔雀
森林裡有一隻孔雀，它有一身美麗的羽毛，每當太陽出來，它就會在樹下開屏，欣賞自己的美麗。它對自己的羽毛感到非常自豪，總是昂著頭，瞧不起其他的動物。
有一天，孔雀遇到了一隻醜陋的癩蛤蟆。孔雀看到癩蛤蟆，立刻露出鄙視的表情，說道：「你怎麼這麼醜？看看我，多麼美麗！」癩蛤蟆聽了，一點也不生氣，只是笑著說：「你的羽毛確實很美，但美麗不是一切。你應該謙虛一點。」
孔雀聽了癩蛤蟆的話，覺得很生氣，心想：「一隻醜陋的癩蛤蟆也敢來教訓我？」於是，它繼續驕傲地展示自己的羽毛。
後來，森林裡來了許多動物，他們都對孔雀的羽毛讚不絕口。孔雀聽了，更加得意忘形了。這時，一隻老鷹從天空中飛過，它看到孔雀開屏的樣子，突然俯衝下來，抓住了孔雀的尾巴。孔雀嚇得大叫，美麗的羽毛散落一地。
故事寓意：
這個故事告訴我們，人不能太過於驕傲自滿，否則會招來不幸。我們應該謙虛謹慎，虛心學習，才能不斷進步。
Idiom Example Sentences
- 他因為小小的成功而沾沾自喜，卻忘記了繼續努力。
- Tā yīnwèi xiǎo xiǎo de chénggōng ér zhānzhān zìxǐ, què wàngjìle jìxù nǔlì.
- He became smug because of his small success and forgot to keep working hard.
- 她總是沾沾自喜於自己的美貌。
- Tā zǒng shì zān zān zì xǐ yú zìjǐ de měimào.
- She is always very vain about her beauty.
- 他沾沾自喜的樣子真討厭。
- Tā zān zān zì xǐ de yàngzi zhēn tǎoyàn.
- His smug look is really annoying.
Practice Exercise
1. Short Answer:
你覺得為什麼沾沾自喜是不好的態度？
(Why do you think being smug is a bad attitude?)
Multiple Choice Questions
1. 沾沾自喜的人通常會怎麼樣？
(What usually happens to people who are smug?)
A. 繼續成功 (Continue succeeding)
B. 容易驕傲 (Become arrogant)
C. 變得謙虛 (Become humble)
D. 獲得更多尊重 (Gain more respect)
【Answer: B】
