Chinese idiom · 成语
耀武扬威
Meaning
Brandish force, flaunt might; show off power.
Character by character
Origin and story
Literary usageShisun Rui's Eastern Han inscription on a sword, preserved in Yiwen Leiju (藝文類聚), volume 60, praises the weapon's formidable power. Its extravagant images include splitting mountains and astonishing distant lands. The wording 曜威燿武 combines the same ideas of displaying might and military force, in a different order.
The exact expression 耀武扬威 appears in Yuan plays, including Zheng Dehui's Yiyin Geng Xin. The literary development matters: this is an image of advertised power, not one particular victory that created the phrase. In modern everyday use it usually criticizes swaggering behavior, especially someone using their position or strength to intimidate others.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
他刚当上组长，就对同事耀武扬威，大家都很反感。
He had barely become team leader before he started throwing his weight around, much to everyone's annoyance.
Usually critical: flaunting authority or strength, not simply being confident.