A self-made man or a self-made woman got rich or successful by their own work, starting with nothing — no rich family, no money handed to them. The most common phrase by far is 'a self-made millionaire'. It is warm and admiring: it says the person built their own life. It goes in front of the noun, so 'a self-made businessman' is normal, and 'he is self-made' is also fine.

A self-made man or a self-made woman一位 self-made 的男士或 self-made 的女士 by their own work靠自己的努力 got rich or successful變得有錢或成功、 starting with nothing從一無所有開始 — no rich family沒有富裕的家庭、 no money handed to them沒有人把錢交到他們手上。 The most common phrase by far最常見、遠遠領先的片語 is是 'a self-made millionaire'白手起家的百萬富翁。 It它 is warm and admiring是溫暖、帶著佩服的： it它 says說的是 the person這個人 built their own life親手建立了自己的人生。 It它 goes in front of the noun放在名詞前面 so所以 'a self-made businessman' a self-made businessman is normal很正常 and 'he is self-made'而 he is self-made is also fine也可以。

Notice how narrow it is in practice. It nearly always means money or business success, not art or study. A famous poet who came from a poor village is not usually called self-made; a shop owner who now has forty shops is.

Notice注意 in practice實際使用上 how narrow it is它有多窄。 It它 nearly always幾乎總是 means指 money or business success金錢或事業上的成功 not不是 art or study藝術或學問。 A famous poet who came from a poor village一位出身窮村子的名詩人 is not usually called通常不會被叫做 self-made self-made； a shop owner who now has forty shops一位如今有四十家店的店老闆 is就會。

Also notice the quiet argument inside the word. People often use it to say 'so anyone can do it, if they work hard' — and other people push back, saying nobody is truly self-made, because everyone had teachers, luck, a country, a family who fed them. So in newspapers and online you will meet 'so-called self-made' or the joke that a self-made man built himself out of a loan from his father. The word carries pride, and it invites that argument.

Also notice也注意 inside the word這個字裡面 the quiet argument藏著的安靜爭論。 People人們 often常 use it用它 to say來說 'so anyone can do it, if they work hard'只要肯努力，任何人都做得到 — and other people而另一些人 push back會反駁 saying說 nobody沒有人 is truly self-made是真正 self-made 的 because因為 everyone每個人 had都有過 teachers老師、 luck運氣、 a country一個國家、 a family who fed them一個養活他們的家庭。 So所以 in newspapers and online在報紙和網路上 you你 will meet會遇到 'so-called self-made'所謂的白手起家 or或 the joke那個玩笑： that a self-made man說一位白手起家的人 out of a loan from his father是用爸爸借他的錢 built himself把自己蓋起來的。 The word這個字 carries pride帶著驕傲 and it invites也招來 that argument那場爭論。

There is a separate, much rarer use — self-made in the sense of homemade, made by yourself, like a self-made cake — but that is unusual in modern English, and 'homemade' is what people say.

There is有 a separate, much rarer use一個另外的、少見得多的用法 — self-made self-made in the sense of意思等於 homemade homemade、 made by yourself自己做的 like像 a self-made cake自己做的蛋糕 — but that但那 is unusual in modern English在現代英文裡不常見 and 'homemade'而 homemade is what people say才是人們實際說的。