高傲

• Pinyin: gāo ào
• Hanzi breakdown: 高 = 高 (tall, high — pictograph of a tower); 傲 = 亻 + 敖 (person + wander proudly, arrogant)

Meaning

Arrogant; haughty; excessively proud and dismissive of others; believing oneself to be superior.

A consistently negative descriptor for an attitude of superiority and disdain towards others. Differs from 骄傲 (which can be positive pride) — 高傲 is always negative. More literary than 傲慢 but carries similar meaning. Used in character assessments and social commentary.

Examples

1. 他年少成名，渐渐养成了高傲的性格，令许多同事望而生畏，不敢亲近。 He became famous at a young age and gradually developed an arrogant personality, which intimidated many coworkers and kept them from getting close to him.
2. 面试官对那位高傲的应聘者印象不佳，认为其态度傲慢，缺乏团队合作精神。 The interviewer had a poor impression of the arrogant applicant, believing his attitude was dismissive and that he lacked a team spirit.
3. 她尽管学识渊博，却从不以高傲的姿态俯视他人，这使她赢得了广泛的尊重。 Although she is highly learned, she never looks down on others with an arrogant attitude, which has earned her widespread respect.

Usage Guide

Context: character, social, everyday

Tone: negative

Do Say

• 他那副高傲的神情让在座所有人都感到不舒服，纷纷选择回避与他交流。(His haughty expression made everyone present uncomfortable, and they chose to avoid engaging with him.)
• 领导者若以高傲的态度对待下属，终将失去人心，无法凝聚团队力量。(A leader who treats subordinates with arrogance will ultimately lose their trust and be unable to unite the team.)

Don't Say

• 他对自己的成就感到高傲 — 高傲 is always a negative trait; use 骄傲 for legitimate, well-founded pride

Origin & History

高 (high/elevated) + 傲 (proud/haughty)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal