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自愧弗如
自愧弗如
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自愧弗如

自愧弗如 — Chinese Idiom

自愧弗如 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to feel ashamed of one's own inferiority or inadequacy when compared to others; to acknowledge one's shortcomings in the face of another's excellence”.

Frequency

自愧弗如 Pronunciation and Pinyin

自愧弗如 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
自
zì6from, self, naturally
愧
kuì12Ashamed or feeling guilty
弗
fú5not; do not
如
rú6like, as, if

Example Sentence with 自愧弗如

看到他如此出色的表现,我真是自愧弗如。
Seeing his outstanding performance, I truly felt ashamed of my own inadequacy.

Origin and Story of 自愧弗如

During the Warring States period, Zou Ji, a high-ranking official in the State of Qi, was eight feet tall and remarkably handsome. Dressed in splendid attire, he asked his wife if he or Xu Gong, a famously handsome man from the northern part of the city, was more beautiful.

Both his wife and concubine assured him that he was the most beautiful. The following day, he posed the same question to a guest, who also echoed their sentiment.

However, when Xu Gong himself arrived, Zou Ji looked at his own reflection in the mirror and felt utterly ashamed of his inferiority.

Idioms Related to 自愧弗如

Synonyms of 自愧弗如

  • zì自kuì愧bù不rú如ashamed of one's inferiority

More idioms starting with 自

  • zì自shàng上ér而xià下From top to bottom
  • zì自xià下ér而shàng上from the bottom up
  • zì自bù不dài待yán言goes without saying
  • zì自bù不liàng量lì力overestimate one's own abilities
  • zì自yè业zì自dé得reap what one has sown
  • zì自chǎn产zì自xiāo销produce and sell one's own products
  • zì自jīn今yǐ以wǎng往From now on
  • zì自jīn今yǐ已hòu后From now on
  • zì自jīn今yǐ已wǎng往from now on
  • zì自jīn今ér而hòu后from now on
  • zì自yǐ以wéi为dé得jì计to fancy one's own clever scheme
  • zì自yǐ以wéi为shì是self-righteous and opinionated

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Questions about 自愧弗如

What does 自愧弗如 mean?

自愧弗如 (zì kuì fú rú) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to feel ashamed of one's own inferiority or inadequacy when compared to others; to acknowledge one's shortcomings in the face of another's excellence”.

How do you pronounce 自愧弗如?

自愧弗如 is pronounced zì kuì fú rú in Mandarin Chinese.

Where does 自愧弗如 come from?

自愧弗如 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 自愧弗如?

自感不如别人而内心惭愧。

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