自我
zìwǒ
The Chinese phrase for 'ego' is 自我 (zìwǒ).
自我 refers to a person's sense of self-esteem or self-importance. In many contexts, it functions as a prefix meaning 'self-' to form compound words, such as 自我意识 (self-awareness).
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding 中心 (center) to 自我 creates the term for being egocentric or self-centered.
How do you pronounce it?
zìwǒ
Did you know?
- The character 自 in 自我 also means 'nose'. In ancient China, pointing to the nose was a gesture used to refer to oneself, linking the physical body to the concept of the ego.
- The character 我 (I/me) was originally a pictograph of a jagged weapon or a tool. This suggests that the concept of the 'self' or 'ego' was historically linked to a means of defense or assertion.
- While 自我 describes the ego, the phrase 面子 (face) is often more important in social interactions. In Chinese culture, 'saving face' is the external manifestation of protecting one's ego and social standing.
Examples in context
- 你永远都不能太自我。You can never have too much ego.This sentence is useful for illustrating how to use 自我 in a warning about having too much ego.Tatoeba #1397316 by mtdot, translation #1247917 by marcelostockle
- 他总是过分关注自我。He always excessively focuses on his ego.
- 他很自负，总是认为自己是最棒的。He is very egoistic and always thinks he is the best.
- 他是一个非常自我的人。Tā shì yīgè fēicháng zìwǒ de rén.He is a very self-centered person.
Example conversation
Two colleagues are discussing a difficult teammate.
- 浩然 Haoran他最近的表现太自我了。Tā zuìjìn de biǎoxiàn tài zìwǒ le.His recent behavior has been too ego-driven.
- 雨婷 Yuting我感觉他也完全不听建议。Wǒ gǎnjué tā yě wánquán bù tīng jiànyì.I feel like he also doesn't listen to advice at all.
- 浩然 Haoran没错，他的自我意识太强了。Méi cuò, tā de zìwǒ yìshí tài qiáng le.That's right, his sense of ego is too strong.
- 雨婷 Yuting我们得找个机会跟他谈谈。Wǒmen děi zhǎo gè jīhuì gēn tā tán tán.We need to find a chance to talk to him.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
