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小人得志

xiǎo rén dé zhìdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. a vile character flourishes (idiom) / fig. an inferior person gets into a position of power, becoming conceited and arrogant
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-3150b839232794fd. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

小人得志 小人得志 [xiao3 ren2 de2 zhi4] /lit. a vile character flourishes (idiom)/fig. an inferior person gets into a position of power, becoming conceited and arrogant/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

  • 小
    xiǎo

    small / tiny / few / young

  • 人
  • 得
    dé

    to obtain / to get / to gain / to catch (a disease) / proper / suitable / proud / contented / to allow / to permit / ready / finished

    dè

    used in 得瑟[dè se]

    de

    structural particle: used after a verb (or adjective as main verb), linking it to following phrase indicating effect, degree, possibility etc

    děi

    to have to / must / ought to / to need to

  • 志
    zhì

    aspiration / ambition / the will / sign / mark / to record / to write a footnote

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.