每日一词学英语(57): hubristic

海外投资、中华文化、孔子学院，中国影响力正在遍及全球(From The Times, June 24, 2009: Currency, culture, Confucius: China's writ will run across the world)。

有人预计2027年中国的经济实力会超过美国，2050年会领先一倍。In 2027 Goldman Sachs estimates that the size of the Chinese economy will overtake America's and by 2050 will be twice as big. 不仅仅是经济崛起，中国的政治和文化影响力也必将不断增强。西方国家不愿意承认吗？那原因只有一个：过分自信。

The only plausible reason that I can think of is the hubristic belief that our ways of doing things are so superior that other countries will automatically adopt our arrangements, values and belief systems. It is based on the absurd assumption that China's modernity will not be deeply shaped by its own long and rich history and culture. 因为自信过头，所以觉得别的国家当然应该接受西方的决议、价值及信仰体系，可笑地认为中国无法借助自身悠久深厚的历史文化实现现代化。“hubristic”和两个词呼应：“superior”、“absurd”，因为自信，所以觉得优越；而自信过头，往往荒谬可笑。

Wiktionary的解释：
1) Of, or relating to hubris; overly arrogant
2) Displaying hubris (as a personality characteristic)

“hubris” (uncountable noun): Excessive pride, presumption or arrogance (originally toward the gods). 盛气凌人，自以为是，狂妄自大。

Times这篇文章的作者Martin Jacques is author of When China Rules the World: the Rise of the Middle Kingdom and the End of the Western World。看得出，他不是一个“过分自信”的人，但这样的人其实不少，言语间往往透露着可笑的优越感，试看文章的留言之一：

All i'm going to say is 'chopsticks'. If the chinese are so great how come, after all those century's, the best solution for eating food they could come up with is still 'two sticks'. The west will always be culturally dominant for we have the knife, fork and spoon!

JT, London, UK