cười nịnh
Definition
- Verb:
- To smile or laugh in a flattering, ingratiating, or obsequious manner: The action of smiling or laughing with the specific intent to please, gain favor, or curry favor with someone, often insincerely.
- To give a sycophantic laugh/smile: A laugh or smile that is excessively complimentary and servile.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Anh ta chỉ biết cười nịnh sếp để được thăng chức. (He only knows how to smile ingratiatingly at the boss to get a promotion.)
- Tôi không thích kiểu cười nịnh của người đó; nó rất giả tạo. (I don't like that person's sycophantic laugh; it's very fake.)
- Đừng cười nịnh tôi; hãy nói sự thật đi. (Don't flatter me with your smile; tell me the truth.)
Advanced Usage
- "nụ cười nịnh": a flattering/sycophantic smile (when used as a noun phrase).
- Nụ cười nịnh của hắn khiến mọi người khó chịu. (His sycophantic smile made everyone uncomfortable.)
- The action often implies a lack of sincerity and is associated with seeking personal benefit.
Variants and Related Words
- Nịnh (verb): to flatter, to adulate. This is the core component meaning "to flatter."
- Nịnh hót (verb): to flatter excessively, to butter up. A stronger, more colloquial synonym.
- Nịnh nọt (verb): to fawn over, to toady. Similar to "nịnh hót."
- Cười giả tạo (verb phrase): to fake a laugh/smile. Shares the insincerity but not necessarily the intent to flatter.
- Cười xu nịnh (verb phrase): an alternative, slightly more formal phrasing with the same meaning.
Synonyms
- Flatter (verb): to praise excessively, especially to gain favor.
- Fawn (verb): to flatter or praise excessively in a servile manner.
- Butter up (phrasal verb, informal): to flatter someone to get them to do what you want.
- Suck up to (phrasal verb, informal): to behave in a servile or flattering way towards someone to gain advantage.
Related Phrases
- Cười nịnh nọt: This is a common extended form, combining "cười nịnh" with "nịnh nọt" for emphasis.
- Hắn ta suốt ngày chỉ biết cười nịnh nọt cấp trên. (He spends all day just fawning over his superiors with flattering smiles.)
Related Idioms
- Ném đá giấu tay (lit: to throw stones and hide one's hand): To act in a deceitful, two-faced manner. While not identical, "cười nịnh" can be a behavior associated with this idiom, where a pleasant exterior hides negative intentions.
- Treo đầu dê, bán thịt chó (lit: to hang a goat's head but sell dog meat): To engage in fraud or deception. A "cười nịnh" can be part of such deceptive packaging.