Meaning of 得意
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- proud of oneself
- pleased with oneself
- complacent
How to use 得意
得意 describes someone who is visibly pleased or proud, often a bit smug. It commonly appears in phrases like 得意地笑 (smile proudly) or 得意洋洋 (very smug). Example: 他考了第一名，非常得意。(Tā kǎo le dì yī míng, fēicháng déyì.) He came first in the exam and was very pleased with himself.
得 (dé) means to get, and 意 (yì) means intention or wish. When you get what you wished for, you feel 得意, pleased with yourself.
Common mistake: Learners often read 得 here as de or děi, but in 得意 it is dé with a second tone. Also, 得意 can sound negative, like smug or complacent, so do not use it to praise someone's hard-earned pride the way you would use 骄傲 (jiāo'ào) or 自豪 (zìháo).
得意 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
得 dé · to obtain · 11 strokes
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意 yì · thought · 13 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 得意.
| 觉得 | juéde | to think that ...; to feel that ...; to feel (uncomfortable etc) |
| 得到 | dédào | to get; to obtain; to receive |
| 记得 | jìde | to remember |
| 意思 | yìsi | idea; opinion |
| 愿意 | yuànyì | to wish; to want |
| 不好意思 | bù hǎoyìsi | to feel embarrassed; to find it embarrassing |
| 有意思 | yǒu yìsi | interesting; meaningful |
| 意见 | yìjiàn | idea; opinion |
| 满意 | mǎnyì | satisfied; pleased |
| 故意 | gùyì | deliberately; on purpose |
| 懂得 | dǒngde | to understand; to know; to comprehend |
| 取得 | qǔdé | to acquire; to get; to obtain |
Questions about 得意
What does 得意 mean?
得意 (déyì) means "proud of oneself; pleased with oneself" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 得意?
得意 is made of 2 characters: 得 (11 strokes), 意 (13 strokes). That is 24 strokes in total.
Is 得意 an HSK word?
Yes. 得意 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 得意 and 自豪?
自豪 (zìháo) is a positive, dignified pride, such as being proud of your country or family. 得意 focuses on feeling pleased with yourself after a success and often hints at showing off.
What does 得意忘形 mean?
得意忘形 (déyì wàngxíng) means to be so pleased with yourself that you lose your self-control or forget your manners. It is a common idiom used as a warning or criticism.