Chinese idiom · 成语
夜郎自大
Meaning
Yelang thinks itself great; to be arrogant from ignorance.
Character by character
Origin and story
Historical accountShiji (史記), volume 116, describes contact between Han envoys and southwestern rulers. The king of Dian asks whether Han or his own domain is larger, and the text adds that the ruler of Yelang did likewise. It explains their limited knowledge through obstructed communication: each knew himself as a regional ruler but did not know the extent of Han.
The later idiom singles out Yelang and interprets this limited perspective as conceit. The source records a question, not an elaborate boast that Yelang had conquered the world. The expression criticizes a person’s inflated self-assessment based on narrow experience; it should not become a judgment about present-day inhabitants of a region.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
只赢了一场比赛就看不起所有对手，未免太夜郎自大了。
Looking down on every opponent after winning just one match is far too conceited.
Criticizes arrogance founded on limited experience.