show off one's strength; act tough beyond one's capabilities
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesverb
to show off one's strength; to act tough beyond one's capabilities
informalOften implies overestimating oneself or refusing help out of pride, leading to potential failure. Has a slightly negative connotation.
Tā他
shēng生
bìng病
le了
hái还
yào要
chěng逞
qiáng强
qù去
shàng上
bān班
，
jié结
guǒ果
yūn晕
dǎo倒
le了
。
Even though he was sick, he still insisted on going to work to show how tough he was, and ended up fainting.
Nǐ你
bié别
chěng逞
qiáng强
le了
，
zhè这
ge个
xiāng箱
zi子
tài太
zhòng重
le了
，
wǒ我
men们
liǎng两
gè个
rén人
yī一
qǐ起
tái抬
ba吧
。
Don't act tough. This box is too heavy; let's carry it together.
Show 2 more examplesShow fewer examples
TāT
jiùā
shì
xǐj
huāni
chěngù
qiáng
hàos
shèngh
shénì
me
shìx
dōuǐ
yào
zhēngh
dìu
yīā
n
c
h
ě
n
g
q
i
á
n
g
h
à
o
s
h
è
n
g
,
s
h
é
n
m
e
s
h
ì
d
ō
u
y
à
o
z
h
ē
n
g
d
ì
y
ī
.
He just loves to show off and be competitive; he has to be first in everything.
Zài在
tán谈
pàn判
zhuō桌
shàng上
，
shì适
dàng当
de的
zì自
xìn信
shì是
hǎo好
de的
，
dàn但
yī一
wèi味
chěng逞
qiáng强
zhǐ只
huì会
ràng让
tán谈
pàn判
pò破
liè裂
。
At the negotiating table, appropriate confidence is good, but blindly acting tough will only lead to a breakdown in talks.