nịnh
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To flatter: To praise someone, especially someone in a superior position, excessively and insincerely in order to gain favor or advantage.
- To fawn (on/upon): To behave in a servile, overly attentive, and flattering manner towards someone to please them.
Usage Examples
- Verb:
- Anh ta luôn nịnh sếp để được thăng chức. (He always flatters the boss to get a promotion.)
- Đừng nịnh tôi. (Don't flatter me.)
- Cô ấy khéo nịnh bà chủ. (She knows how to fawn on her employer.)
Advanced Usage
"nịnh hót": to flatter and toady; implies a more elaborate and insincere act of flattery.
- Hắn chỉ giỏi nịnh hót cấp trên. (He is only good at toadying to his superiors.)
"nịnh nọt": to butter up; similar to "nịnh hót," emphasizing fawning behavior.
- Thái độ nịnh nọt của anh ta thật đáng khinh. (His buttering-up attitude is truly despicable.)
Variants and Related Words
Nịnh bợ (v): to flatter obsequiously, to suck up to.
- Hắn chuyên nịnh bợ người có quyền thế. (He specializes in sucking up to people in power.)
Nịnh đầm (v, colloquial): to flatter women, often with romantic or ulterior motives.
- Anh chàng đó rất biết cách nịnh đầm. (That guy knows how to flatter women.)
Synonyms
- Flatter: To compliment excessively and often insincerely.
- Fawn: To flatter in a servile, cringing manner.
- Butter up (idiomatic): To flatter someone to gain their favor.
- Toady: To act in an obsequious, flattering way.
Related Idioms
Nịnh thần nịnh thánh: To flatter someone as if they were a god or a saint; to flatter excessively and shamelessly.
- Cứ thấy cấp trên là hắn lại nịnh thần nịnh thánh. (Whenever he sees a superior, he flatters them as if they were divine.)
Bợ đỡ nịnh hót: A phrase combining words for sycophancy, describing the act of fawning and flattering.
- Môi trường đó đầy rẫy thói bợ đỡ nịnh hót. (That environment is full of sycophancy and fawning.)
- Flatter, fawn on, fawn upon