逞强
chěng qiáng · HSK 7
to show off
💪 chěng sounds like 'charming' + qiáng means strong — charming yourself as strong
逞 means to flaunt or indulge, 强 means strong. Together: flaunting strength you may not have. Someone puffing up, insisting they can handle it alone when they really cannot.
强 — bow 弓 + elong 㔾 + insect 虫
Originally written 強, depicting a type of strong-shelled insect or weevil, with 虫 (insect) as semantic and 弘 as phonetic. The meaning shifted from the insect's tough shell to the general sense of 'strong, powerful, forceful.' The form 强 is a common variant where 弘 is replaced by 弓+口.