If you call someone holier-than-thou, you are saying they act as if they are morally better than everyone else — kinder, cleaner, more “good” — and you do not like that act. It is not a compliment. It is a judging word about a judging person.

If you call someone holier-than-thou如果你說某人 holier-than-thou, you are saying你的意思是 they act as if they are morally better than everyone else他們表現得好像自己比所有人道德都高 — kinder, cleaner, more “good”更善良、更純潔、更「好」 — and you do not like that act而你不喜歡這種樣子. It is not a compliment這不是稱讚. It is a judging word about a judging person這是用來批評一個愛批評別人的人的字.

The words are old: holier means more holy, and thou is an old way to say you, so the phrase is “more holy than you.” It comes from a line in the Bible (Isaiah 65:5, in the King James wording), where people say, in effect, stand away from me; I am holier than thou.

The words are old這幾個字很古老: holier means more holyholier 意思是更神聖, and thou is an old way to say you而 thou 是古時候說「你」的方式, so the phrase is “more holy than you”所以這個片語的意思就是「比你更神聖」. It comes from a line in the Bible它出自聖經裡的一句話 (Isaiah 65:5, in the King James wording以欽定版〈以賽亞書〉65章5節為例), where people say, in effect, “stand away from me; I am holier than thou”裡面的人說的等於是「離我遠一點，我比你神聖」.

English kept the old flavour on purpose. You use it for a tone, a look, or a comment: the raised eyebrow, the little speech about how you would never do that. It is fairly strong, a bit literary, and always disapproving. You would not put it on a kind report card.

English kept the old flavour on purpose英文故意保留這種古老的味道. You use it for a tone, a look, or a comment你可以用它來形容一種語氣、一個眼神，或一句評論: the raised eyebrow像挑起的眉毛, the little speech about how you would never do that或那種「我才不會這樣做」的小訓話. It is fairly strong, a bit literary, and always disapproving這個字力道不小、有點文學味，而且永遠帶著不認同. You would not put it on a kind report card你不會把它寫在一份親切的成績單評語裡.