得意忘形 dé yì wàng xíng Get carried away

Explanation

得意忘形，是一个汉语成语，指人因得意而忘乎所以，失去常态。它形容人过于高兴而失去理智，也指人因骄傲自满而失去警惕。

得意忘形, a Chinese idiom, means someone is so proud of themselves that they lose their sense of proportion and become reckless.

Origin Story

古代有个书生，名叫王二，他从小就聪明好学，长大后更是博览群书，学富五车。有一次，王二参加了县里的考试，凭借着渊博的学识，他轻而易举地取得了第一名，并被推荐到州府参加考试。王二十分得意，以为自己已经稳操胜券，便开始四处吹嘘，逢人便夸耀自己，甚至还开始瞧不起其他考生。他经常出入酒楼，大吃大喝，挥金如土，完全忘记了自己来参加考试的目的。他甚至还每天都穿着华贵的衣服，戴着昂贵的帽子，走在街上，故意让别人看到他的风光，以为自己已经是状元了。

gǔ dài yǒu gè shū shēng, míng jiào wáng èr, tā cóng xiǎo jiù cōng míng hǎo xué, zhǎng dà hòu gèng shì bó lǎn qún shū, xué fù wǔ chē. yǒu yī cì, wáng èr cān jiā le xiàn lǐ de kǎo shì, píng jiè zhe yuān bó de xué shí, tā qīng ér yì jǔ de qǔ dé le dì yī míng, bìng bèi tuī jiàn dào zhōu fǔ cān jiā kǎo shì. wáng èr shí fēn dé yì, yǐ wéi zì jǐ yǐ jīng wěn cāo shèng quàn, biàn kāi shǐ sì chù chuī xū, féng rén biàn kuā yào zì jǐ, shèn zhì hái kāi shǐ qiáo bù qǐ qí tā kǎo shēng. tā jīng cháng chū rù jiǔ lóu, dà chī dà hē, huī jīn rú tǔ, wán quán wàng jì le zì jǐ lái cān jiā kǎo shì de mù dì. tā shèn zhì hái měi tiān dōu chuān zhe huá guì de yī fú, dài zhe áng guì de mào zi, zǒu zài jiē shàng, gù yì ràng bié rén kàn dào tā de fēng guāng, yǐ wéi zì jǐ yǐ jīng shì zhuàng yuán le.

In ancient times, there was a scholar named Wang Er. He was smart and eager to learn from a young age, and when he grew up, he became a man who read a lot and learned books. Once, Wang Er participated in the county exam and, with his vast knowledge, he easily won first place and was recommended to participate in the exam in the prefectural capital. Wang Er was very proud and thought he had already won, so he began to brag. He boasted everywhere he went and even began to look down on other candidates. He often went to restaurants, ate and drank a lot and spent money lavishly, completely forgetting why he had come to the exam in the first place. He even wore luxurious clothes and an expensive hat every day, walking down the street to show off how well he was doing, because he thought he was already the best student.

Usage

这个成语常用来形容一个人因为取得了一些成绩而变得骄傲自满，忘记了自身的不足，最终导致失败。

zhè ge chéng yǔ cháng yòng lái xíng róng yī gè rén yīn wèi qǔ dé le yī xiē chéng jì ér biàn dé jiāo ào zì mǎn, wàng jì le zì shēn de bù zú, zuì zhōng dǎo zhì shī bài.

This idiom is often used to describe someone who becomes arrogant and conceited due to some achievements, forgets their own shortcomings, and ultimately leads to failure.

Examples

• 他考上大学，高兴得得意忘形，到处炫耀。

  tā kǎo shàng dà xué, gāo xìng de dé yì wàng xíng, dào chù xuàn yào.

  He was so happy that he got into college, he got carried away and showed off everywhere.

• 他取得了巨大的成功，却得意忘形，最终走向了失败。

  tā qǔ dé le jù dà de chéng gōng, què dé yì wàng xíng, zuì zhōng zǒu xiàng le shī bài.

  He achieved great success, but he forgot himself and ultimately ended up failing.

• 领导夸奖了几句，他就得意忘形，开始目中无人了。

  lǐng dǎo kuā jiǎng le jǐ jù, tā jiù dé yì wàng xíng, kāi shǐ mù zhōng wú rén le.

  His leader praised him a few words, and he got carried away and started to be arrogant.

• 获得比赛的胜利后，他得意忘形，完全忘记了比赛过程中的艰辛。

  huò dé bǐ sài de shèng lì hòu, tā dé yì wàng xíng, wán quán wàng jì le bǐ sài guò chéng zhōng de jiān xīn.

  After winning the competition, he got carried away and completely forgot the hardships he had during the competition.

Related Idioms

• 忘乎所以

• 自鸣得意

• 得意洋洋

Opposite Idioms

• 谦虚谨慎

• 戒骄戒躁