cau4 cyu4 mun5 zi3躊躇滿志踌躇满志

Jyutpingcau4 cyu4 mun5 zi3

Yalechàuh chyùh múhn ji

語句

Definition

Enormously proud of one's success and full of self-confidence.

colloquialdescriptionsemotion

How it's used

This idiom carries a negative connotation of resting on one's laurels rather than the positive sense of being proud of an achievement. It describes a state where someone becomes so pleased with their current success that they lose the drive to improve or progress further. It is frequently used as a warning to colleagues or friends who seem to have stopped putting in effort after a small win.

Examples

keoi5佢jeng4贏zo2咗bei2比coi3賽zi1之hau6後，zau6就hoi1開ci2始cau4躊cyu4躇mun5滿zi3志。

After he won the competition, he started to become complacent.

zou6做jan4人m4唔hou2好taai2太cau4躊cyu4躇mun5滿zi3志，jiu3要gai3繼zuk6續nou5努lik6力aa4呀。

Don't be too complacent in life, you need to keep working hard.

Common phrases

cit3切gei6忌cau4躊cyu4躇mun5滿zi3志

must avoid being complacent

m4唔hou2好cau4躊cyu4躇mun5滿zi3志

do not be complacent

Common mistake

Learners often mistake this for a positive expression of self-confidence, but it is almost always used to criticize someone for being overly self-satisfied and stagnant.