Definition

1. Verb:
   • To toss/throw upwards: To propel an object, especially a ball, into the air with a light, upward motion, often repeatedly.
   • To flatter/To praise excessively: To compliment someone in an exaggerated or insincere way, often to gain favor.

Usage Examples

• Verb (to toss):
  • Cậu bé đang tâng quả bóng trên chân. (The boy is juggling the ball on his foot.)
  • Cô ấy tâng quả cầu lông lên cao rồi đánh. (She tossed the shuttlecock up high and then hit it.)
• Verb (to flatter):
  • Anh ta chỉ biết tâng bốc sếp. (He only knows how to flatter the boss.)
  • Đừng tâng tôi lên nữa, tôi biết khả năng của mình mà. (Stop praising me so much, I know my own abilities.)

Advanced Usage

• "tâng bốc": This is the most common compound, meaning to flatter or adulate excessively.
  • Họ tâng bốc lẫn nhau chẳng vì lý do gì. (They flatter each other for no reason.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tâng hứng (v): Often used in sports like volleyball or football (soccer) to mean "to volley" or "to juggle," keeping the ball in the air.
  • Cầu thủ tâng hứng bóng trước khi sút. (The player juggled the ball before shooting.)

Synonyms

• To toss/To juggle: To keep an object in the air with repeated light touches.
• To flatter/To adulate: To praise someone excessively, often without sincerity.

Related Idioms

• Tâng nhau lên: To engage in mutual, excessive praise; to "scratch each other's backs."
  • Trong buổi gặp đó, họ chỉ tâng nhau lên. (During that meeting, they just engaged in mutual flattery.)