chạy chọt

Definition

Verb:
- To solicit (favors, influence, or special treatment): The primary meaning of "chạy chọt" is to actively and often persistently seek help, favors, or a desired outcome from people in authority or with influence, typically through personal appeals and networking.
- To lobby or canvass (in a personal, often unofficial capacity): It implies running around to various places or people to plead one's case, often for a personal gain like a job, a permit, or to avoid punishment.

Usage Examples

Verb:
- Hắn đút lót bọn quan lại, chạy chọt chức lý trưởng. (He bribed the mandarins to solicit the position of village headman.)
- Chạy chọt khắp nơi. (To run about soliciting favours everywhere.)
- Gia đình anh ấy phải chạy chọt để anh được ra tù sớm. (His family had to solicit favors to get him released from prison early.)

Advanced Usage

The term carries a strong connotation of using personal connections, persistent pleading, and sometimes implies engaging in grey-area or corrupt practices (like bribery) to achieve a goal. It is not a neutral term for formal lobbying.
It often describes a tiresome, undignified process of seeking patronage.

Variants and Related Words

Chạy (v): While "chạy" alone can mean "to run," in colloquial use it can be a shorthand for the concept of "chạy chọt," e.g., (to solicit a job), (to seek influence in a legal case).
Cầu cạnh (v): to beg, to implore. This is a close synonym but emphasizes the act of begging more than the "running around" aspect.

Synonyms

To solicit: To seek to obtain something from someone.
To canvass: To solicit support, votes, or opinions, though "chạy chọt" is more personal and less formal.
To lobby (informally): To try to influence someone in authority, but "chạy chọt" is not institutional.
To pull strings: To use one's influence with other people to get something done.

Related Idioms

Chạy ngược chạy xuôi: To run hither and thither, to be extremely busy running around (often for the purpose of "chạy chọt").
- Ông ấy chạy ngược chạy xuôi tìm chỗ chạy chọt cho con. (He ran everywhere looking for a place to solicit help for his child.)

verb