pester by every possible means; wear down by soft and hard tactics
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesverb
to pester someone endlessly by every possible means; to wear down resistance by using both soft pleading and persistent pressure
informalA colloquial idiom often used to describe persistent nagging to get what one wants. The phrase implies a mix of gentle pleading (软磨) and forceful persistence (硬泡).
Tā他
měi每
tiān天
ruǎn软
mó磨
yìng硬
pào泡
de地
qiú求
mā妈
ma妈
gěi给
tā他
mǎi买
xīn新
shǒu手
jī机
。
He pesters his mom every day to buy him a new phone.
Bù不
guǎn管
wǒ我
zěn怎
me么
ruǎn软
mó磨
yìng硬
pào泡
，
tā他
jiù就
shì是
bù不
kěn肯
jiè借
qián钱
gěi给
wǒ我
。
No matter how much I pestered him, he just wouldn't lend me money.
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Zuì最
hòu后
，
zài在
wǒ我
de的
ruǎn软
mó磨
yìng硬
pào泡
zhī之
xià下
，
tā他
zhōng终
yú于
dā答
ying应
le了
。
In the end, after my persistent pestering, he finally agreed.
Bié别
gēn跟
tā他
ruǎn软
mó磨
yìng硬
pào泡
le了
，
méi没
yòng用
de的
。
Stop pestering him, it's useless.