flatter; praise to please
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesverb
to flatter; to praise insincerely in order to curry favor
Often implies insincerity or an ulterior motive. The variant 恭维 (gōng wei) is more commonly used in modern Chinese.
Tā他
zǒng总
shì是
gōng恭
wéi惟
shàng上
si司
，
xī希
wàng望
néng能
dé得
dào到
tí提
bá拔
。
He always flatters his superiors, hoping to get promoted.
Wǒ我
bù不
xǐ喜
huan欢
tīng听
zhè这
xiē些
gōng恭
wéi惟
huà话
。
I don't like hearing these words of flattery.
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Tā他
qū曲
yì意
gōng恭
wéi惟
，
zhǐ只
wéi为
dé得
dào到
nà那
gè个
zhí职
wèi位
。
He deliberately resorts to flattery just to get that position.