得意忘形
得意忘形 (dé yì wàng xíng) literally means “so pleased as to forget one's form” and expresses “become carried away by success”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.
Also searched as: de yi wang xing, de yi wang xing,得意忘形 meaning, 得意忘形 in english
Become carried away by success
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。
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about life philosophy
自惭形秽
zì cán xíng huì
Feeling inferior
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形影不离
xíng yǐng bù lí
Inseparable; always together
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忘乎所以
wàng hū suǒ yǐ
Carried away by success
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暗箭伤人
àn jiàn shāng rén
Covert attacks avoiding direct confrontation
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捕风捉影
bǔ fēng zhuō yǐng
Make accusations without solid evidence
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不择手段
bú zé shǒu duàn
Use any means regardless of ethics
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瓜田李下
guā tián lǐ xià
Avoid situations that invite suspicion
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自以为是
zì yǐ wéi shì
Self-righteous; opinionated
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 得意忘形 mean in English?
得意忘形 (dé yì wàng xíng) literally translates to “So pleased as to forget one's form” and is used to express “Become carried away by success”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.
When is 得意忘形 used?
Situation: His success made him careless about his professional conduct.
What is the pinyin for 得意忘形?
The pinyin pronunciation for 得意忘形 is “dé yì wàng xíng”.