zi6 hei1 hei1 jan4自欺欺人
Jyutpingzi6 hei1 hei1 jan4
Yalejih hēi hēi yàhn
Definition
To deceive oneself as well as others; to refuse to face reality in order to make oneself feel better.
colloquialemotiondescriptions
How it's used
This idiom describes a psychological state of denial where a person creates a false reality to avoid facing uncomfortable truths. It implies a sense of pathetic delusion rather than just a simple lie. You will often hear it used when someone is desperately trying to justify a bad situation that everyone else can clearly see is failing.
Examples
What you are doing is just deceiving yourself and others.
Related words
Common phrases
simply deceiving oneself and others
Common mistake
Learners sometimes mistake this for a simple verb meaning to lie, but it specifically carries the nuance of self-deception as a coping mechanism. It is not used for casual white lies or professional dishonesty.
Grammar color guide
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Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
