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Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

Explanations are written by a local model (gemma4) and only published after a verification pass against the cited sources. How it works.

Chinese

自相矛盾

/t͡sɹ̩⁵¹ ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵⁵ mɑʊ̯³⁵ tu̯ən⁵¹/
self-contradictory; paradoxical; to contradict oneself
  • HSK 10
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Origin

The phrase is composed of the characters 自 (self, oneself; one's own), 相 (to see for oneself; to evaluate by seeing for oneself), 矛 (spear; lance), and 盾 (shield).

The character 相 consists of the components 木 (tree; woody plant) and 目 (eye). The phrase serves as a metaphor for speech or behavior that does not correspond to itself or is in conflict.

Confidence: high · written by gemma4:26b, checked statement-by-statement against the sources below.

「自相矛盾」由四個漢字組成。其中「自」意為自己或自身；「相」有親自觀察或透過觀察來評估之意，其字形包含「木」與「目」兩個組成部分；「矛」指矛或長槍；「盾」則指盾牌。

這個詞彙透過這些字組合，用來描述行為或言語之間出現矛盾、互相抵觸的情況。

Confidence: high · written by gemma4:26b, checked statement-by-statement against the sources below.

Lineage

  • characterChinese自 “self, oneself; one's own”
  • characterChinese相 “to see for oneself; to evaluate by seeing for oneself”
    • ideaChinese木 “tree; woody plant”
    • ideaChinese目 “eye (Classifier: 雙／双 mn-t)”
  • characterChinese矛 “spear; lance”
  • characterChinese盾 “shield”
Wiktionary etymology text

See 矛盾 (máodùn).

From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Meanings

phrase
  1. self-contradictory; paradoxical; to contradict oneself

國語辭典 definitions

  1. 比喻行事或言語先後不相應、互相牴觸。語本《韓非子．難勢》。 例：他的說法老是自相矛盾，令人無所適從。

© Ministry of Education, Taiwan — CC BY-ND 3.0 TW, shown unaltered.

Sources

  • etymagent (local gemma4:26b) — Generated
  • HSK / TOCFL word lists — Facts (levels)
  • 教育部《國語辭典簡編本》 (Taiwan MOE) — CC BY-ND 3.0 TW
  • Written form — n/a
  • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Wiktionary: 自相矛盾