自以为是 (zì yǐ wéi shì)

Character breakdown

• 自 (zì) · 6 strokes

  Pictograph of a nose. Original form of 鼻 (nose). In China, when people point to themselves, they typically point to their nose.

• 以 (yǐ) · 4 strokes

  Depicts a person (人) carrying something.

• 为 (wéi) · 4 strokes

  Simplified form of 為. Pictograph of a hand (又) guiding an elephant (象) to do work (in ancient China elephants were tamed to do work). Based on the meaning "to work; to do".

• 是 (shì) · 9 strokes

  Origin unclear. The bottom component 止 represents the sound.

Usage

他总是自以为是，听不进别人的意见。

to believe oneself infallible (idiom); to be opinionated

tā zǒng shì zì yǐ wéi shì ， tīng bù jìn bié rén de yì jiàn 。