# 自暴自弃

zì bào zì qì

Give up on oneself and stop trying

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Abandon and discard oneself

**Traditional Chinese:** 自暴自棄

**Register:** Concerned · general

[Effort & growth](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/effort)

## When to use it

Describe despair that ends constructive effort.

Avoid blaming someone who needs support or encouragement.

## Understanding the expression

The phrase imagines a person treating their own future as no longer worth care. Modern use describes giving up, neglecting responsibilities, or refusing opportunities after discouragement. It often appears in encouragement to keep trying. The underlying distress may need support, not a lecture. A temporary rest is different from abandoning hope, and people recovering from illness or hardship may need time before they can take another useful step forward.

## Examples

失败后别自暴自弃。

### Traditional Chinese

失敗後別自暴自棄。

shī bài hòu bié zì bào zì qì 。

Do not give up on yourself after failure.

朋友陪伴让她不再自暴自弃。

### Traditional Chinese

朋友陪伴讓她不再自暴自棄。

péng yǒu péi bàn ràng tā bú zài zì bào zì qì 。

Her friend's support helped her stop giving up on herself.

他曾自暴自弃，后来重新学习。

### Traditional Chinese

他曾自暴自棄，後來重新學習。

tā céng zì bào zì qì ， hòu lái chóng xīn xué xí 。

He once gave up but later resumed learning.

老师耐心帮助自暴自弃的学生。

### Traditional Chinese

老師耐心幫助自暴自棄的學生。

lǎo shī nài xīn bāng zhù zì bào zì qì de xué shēng 。

The teacher patiently helps a student who has lost hope.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E8%87%AA%E6%9A%B4%E8%87%AA%E6%A3%84)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=251&webMd=1&la=0)

## Keep exploring

- [自强不息 zì qiáng bù xī Keep improving oneself with sustained effort ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/zi-qiang-bu-xi)

- [自食其力 zì shí qí lì Support oneself through one's own work ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/zi-shi-qi-li)

- [孜孜不倦 zī zī bù juàn Work or study diligently without tiring ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/zi-zi-bu-juan)

- [按部就班 àn bù jiù bān Follow an orderly sequence or routine ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/an-bu-jiu-ban)

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