Definition

1. Verb (figurative):
   • To bend the knee: To submit, yield, or show obeisance to someone in a position of power or authority, often implying a loss of dignity or principle. It conveys the act of humbling oneself excessively or compromising one's stance out of fear, obligation, or for personal gain.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Anh ta sẵn sàng uốn gối trước kẻ mạnh để được thăng chức. (He is willing to bend the knee to the powerful to get a promotion.)
  • Dân tộc đó không bao giờ uốn gối trước quân xâm lược. (That nation never bent the knee to the invaders.)
  • Hành động uốn gối đó khiến anh mất hết sự tôn trọng. (That act of bending the knee caused him to lose all respect.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is almost exclusively used in a figurative and critical sense. It describes a conscious, often morally questionable, act of submission rather than a physical action.
• It often appears in political, social, or ethical commentary to criticize sycophancy, cowardice, or betrayal of ideals.

Variants and Related Words

• Quỳ gối (verb): To kneel. This can be both literal (to kneel physically) and figurative (to submit), but "quỳ gối" can sometimes imply a more desperate or devout posture than "uốn gối."
• Khuất phục (verb): To subdue, to force into submission.
• Nịnh hót (verb): To flatter, to butter up. This relates to the behavior that might accompany "uốn gối."

Synonyms

• To bow down: To show deference or submission.
• To grovel: To behave obsequiously in a humiliating way.
• To kowtow: To act in an excessively subservient manner (from Chinese custom).

Related Idioms

• Mềm lưng uốn gối: A common four-word idiom meaning "to have a soft back and bend the knee." It intensifies the meaning, describing a person who is spineless, overly flexible, and quick to submit or flatter.
  • Hắn là kẻ mềm lưng uốn gối, chỉ biết nghe lời cấp trên. (He is a spineless yes-man who only knows how to obey his superiors.)