得意忘形

Pronunciation: dé yì wàng xíng Literal meaning: So pleased as to forget one's form

Origin & Usage

So pleased (得意) as to forget (忘) the shape one cuts (形). 形 is the body, one's outward form, so what is lost is not dignity in the abstract but awareness of how one appears — the person is still perfectly visible, they have simply stopped seeing themselves. That is a sharper observation than pride. Somebody whose good news has made them briefly unbearable — a warning as much as a description, since the state passes and the memory of it does not.

Examples

English: "His success made him careless about his professional conduct."

Chinese: 成功让他得意忘形，忽视了职业操守。