自称 zìchēng to call oneself
to call oneself; to claim to be; to profess; to claim a title
How to remember 自称: 自 self + 称 balanced = to call oneself.
Characters
How it is used
- To call oneself / claim to be - 他自称是专家 (tā zìchēng shì zhuānjiā) he claims to be an expert.
- Often carries a note of skepticism - the claim is self-declared and unverified.
- Also neutral 'to style oneself as'; context sets the tone.
Example sentences
- 美国是一个自称没有社会阶层的国家。 Měiguó shì yígè zìchēng méiyǒu shèhuìjiēcéng de guójiā.America likes to claim that it is a "classless" society.