自以為是

See also: 自以为是

Chinese

		from; self; oneself from; self; oneself; since	to mistakenly believe; to be under the impression; to have thought that to mistakenly believe; to be under the impression; to have thought that; to assume	be; yes; this
trad. (自以為是/自以爲是)		自	以為/以爲	是
simp. (自以为是)		自	以为	是

Etymology

From Xunzi (《荀子·榮辱》):

凡鬥者，必自以為是，而以人為非也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

凡斗者，必自以为是，而以人为非也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Xunzi, c. 3^rd century BCE

Fán dòu zhě, bì zìyǐwèishì, ér yǐ rén wèi fēi yě. [Pinyin]

Those prone to fights invariably consider themselves right and others wrong.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zìyǐwéishì

  (Zhuyin): ㄗˋ ㄧˇ ㄨㄟˊ ㄕˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zi⁶ ji⁵ wai⁴ si⁶
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): chū-í-ûi-sī

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zìyǐwéishì
    • Zhuyin: ㄗˋ ㄧˇ ㄨㄟˊ ㄕˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: zìhyǐwéishìh
    • Wade–Giles: tzŭ⁴-i³-wei²-shih⁴
    • Yale: dz̀-yǐ-wéi-shr̀
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzyhyiiweishyh
    • Palladius: цзыивэйши (czyivɛjši)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sz̩⁵¹ i²¹⁴⁻²¹ weɪ̯³⁵ ʂʐ̩⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zi⁶ ji⁵ wai⁴ si⁶
    • Yale: jih yíh wàih sih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzi⁶ ji⁵ wai⁴ si⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: ji⁶ yi⁵ wei⁴ xi⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siː²² jiː¹³ wɐi̯²¹ siː²²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chū-í-ûi-sī
    • Tâi-lô: tsū-í-uî-sī
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zuxy'uisi
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡su²²⁻²¹ i⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ui²⁴⁻²² si²²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡su⁴¹⁻²² i⁵⁵⁴⁻²⁴ ui²⁴⁻²² si⁴¹/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡su²²⁻²¹ i⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ui¹³⁻²² si²²/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡su³³⁻¹¹ i⁵³⁻⁴⁴ ui²⁴⁻¹¹ si³³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡su³³⁻²¹ i⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ ui²³⁻³³ si³³/

Idiom

自以為是

1. to consider oneself in the right; to regard oneself as infallible; self-righteous

   • 只有那些主觀地、片面地和表面地看問題的人，跑到一個地方，不問環境的情況，不看事情的全體（事情的歷史和全部現狀），也不觸到事情的本質（事情的性質及此一事情和其它事情的內部聯繫），就自以為是地發號施令起來，這樣的人是沒有不跌交子的。 [MSC, trad.]
     只有那些主观地、片面地和表面地看问题的人，跑到一个地方，不问环境的情况，不看事情的全体（事情的历史和全部现状），也不触到事情的本质（事情的性质及此一事情和其它事情的内部联系），就自以为是地发号施令起来，这样的人是没有不跌交子的。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1937, 毛澤東 (Mao Zedong), 《實踐論》 (On Practice), 《毛澤東選集》. English translation based on the Foreign Languages Press edition

     Zhǐyǒu nàxiē zhǔguān de, piànmiàn de hé biǎomiàn de kàn wèntí de rén, pǎo dào yī gè dìfang, bù wèn huánjìng de qíngkuàng, bù kàn shìqing de quántǐ (shìqing de lìshǐ hé quánbù xiànzhuàng), yě bù chù dào shìqing de běnzhì (shìqing de xìngzhì jí cǐ yī shìqing hé qítā shìqing de nèibù liánxì), jiù zìyǐwéishì de fāhàoshīlìng qilai, zhèyàng de rén shì méiyǒu bù diē jiāozi de. [Pinyin]

     Only those who are subjective, one-sided and superficial in their approach to problems will smugly issue orders or directives the moment they arrive on the scene, without considering the circumstances, without viewing things in their totality (their history and their present state as a whole) and without getting to the essence of things (their nature and the internal relations between one thing and another). Such people are bound to trip and fall.