傲

ào

亻 + 敖

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

ào (adjective) proud; arrogant

ào (verb) to despise; to defy

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 亻 represents the meaning and 敖 represents the sound.

Semantic: 亻 Phonetic: 敖

About

傲 is a phono-semantic compound: 亻 (rén, "person") marks a human trait or condition, and 敖 (áo) gives the sound. 敖 originally depicted a person traveling or rambling, with an abstract sense of elevation or aloofness. Together they express a spectrum of attitudes from excessive conceit and stubborn arrogance to noble pride, unyielding integrity, and dignified independence in the face of adversity or authority.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他感到非常骄傲。

Tā gǎndào fēicháng jiāo'ào.

He feels very proud.

她态度很傲慢。

Tā tàidù hěn àomàn.

Her attitude is very arrogant.

他的傲气让人讨厌。

Tā de àoqì ràng rén tǎoyàn.

His arrogance is annoying.

我们为成功而骄傲。

Wǒmen wèi chénggōng ér jiāo'ào.

We are proud of the success.

尽管他很傲，但能力很强。

Jǐnguǎn tā hěn ào, dàn nénglì hěn qiáng.

Although he is arrogant, his ability is very strong.

他傲视所有竞争对手。

Tā àoshì suǒyǒu jìngzhēng duìshǒu.

He looks down upon all competitors.

他的傲慢导致了他失败。

Tā de àomàn dǎozhìle tā shībài.

His arrogance led to his failure.

在取得成就后，她依然保持谦逊，毫无傲色。

Zài qǔdé chéngjiù hòu, tā yīrán bǎochí qiānxùn, háo wú ào sè.

After achieving success, she still remains humble, without any trace of arrogance.

Related Characters

Component: 亻

Component: 敖

傲