DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

耀武揚威

简耀武扬威 · 繁耀武揚威

Mandarin · pinyin yào wǔ yáng wēi

to show off one's military strength (idiom); to strut around
to bluff
to bluster

Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

耀: yào · shine, sparkle, dazzle; glory
武: wǔ · military; martial, warlike
揚: Look up this written character
威: wēi · pomp, power; powerful; dominate
扬: yáng · scatter, spread; praise

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

4–3–2–1 · yao4 wu3 yang2 wei1

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

4character links

Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗

Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

耀武揚威 · find source passages ↗ · 耀武扬威 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

jiu6 mou5 joeng4 wai1

Cantonese word readings for 耀武揚威. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

(idiomatic) to prance about; to thump one's chest; to swagger about; to brag of one's military prowess

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack