During the Spring and Autumn period, Yan Ying served as prime minister of Qi under Duke Jing
One fine day, under a bright sun, the main road was bustling with activity. Yanzi was traveling on official business, riding in a grand carriage drawn by four fine horses, with a large umbrella overhead. The horses' hooves clattered, kicking up a little dust behind—a truly impressive sight.
From the crack of a thatched hut's door by the main road, the wife of Yanzi's charioteer watched her husband crack his whip and drive the horses, chest puffed out and face brimming with smug pride, while Yanzi himself sat calmly in the carriage, humble and composed. A wave of displeasure washed over her. When her husband finally returned home at dusk, she greeted him bluntly: "Let us part ways!"
“What?” the husband exclaimed in shock. “Why would you leave me?” “You’ve become a grand man now, coming and going from the prime minister’s mansion! But I’m just an ordinary housewife.” “What are you talking about?” the husband snapped, growing angry. “We’ve always respected each other like honored guests since our marriage. How have I wronged you?” “You haven’t wronged me,” she replied. “Then why say such a thing?” he demanded.
"Yan Zi stood less than six feet tall, yet with profound wisdom he became prime minister of Qi, his fame spreading across all the feudal lords—truly a hero of his time. Yet today I saw him riding in a grand carriage, deep in thought, humble and courteous, with not a trace of arrogance or disdain for the common people. But you, though you stand eight feet tall, are merely a carriage driver. I saw the way you handled the reins—so self-important, as if you outranked even Yan Zi himself. That is why I wish to leave you."
The husband lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.
"Humility is actually a virtue," the wife's voice softened. "Please don't say any more," the husband interrupted, "I already understand what you mean."
From that day forward, the charioteer shed his arrogant, self-important demeanor, replacing it with humility and caution.
When Yanzi found this odd and asked why, the carriage driver explained everything that had happened
“Yangyang Zide” comes from “with high spirits and great self-satisfaction,” later used to describe a very proud demeanor.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biographies of Guan Zhong and Yan Ying"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "扬扬自得" came to describe a very proud demeanor.