cronies congratulate each other
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 1 examplesverb
to dust off one's hat and congratulate each other; to celebrate an associate's promotion in anticipation of one's own gain
formalThis is the same idiom as the primary entry, listed here to capture any variant interpretations. The phrase emphasizes the unseemly haste with which hangers-on celebrate when their patron advances, implying a corrupt system of mutual back-scratching.
Xīn新
bù部
zhǎng长
shàng上
rèn任
，
qí其
jiù旧
bù部
tán弹
guān冠
xiāng相
qìng庆
，
yǐ以
wéi为
shēng升
qiān迁
yǒu有
wàng望
。
When the new minister took office, his old subordinates congratulated each other, believing their own promotions were imminent.