小人得志 in English xiao3 ren2 de2 zhi4 Meaning

Meanings

  • literally (word for word) a vile character flourishes (idiomatic expression)
  • metaphorically an inferior person gets into a position of power, becoming conceited and arrogant

Simplified Characters

小 人 得 志

Traditional Characters

小 人 得 志

Pinyin

xiao3 ren2 de2 zhi4

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

小xiao3small 人ren2man 得de2to obtain 志zhi4aspiration