巴结 (bā jie) — to fawn on, to curry favor with

Definition

巴结 means to fawn on someone (usually a superior) for selfish gain, and carries a stronger negative judgment than 讨好.

verb

to fawn onto curry favor with

巴结，。
Tā zǒng shì bā jie yǒu qián rén, zhēn ràng rén kàn bù qǐ.
He always fawns on rich people; it's really contemptible.
，巴结。
Tā wèi le dé dào zhè fèn gōng zuò, pīn mìng bā jie jīng lǐ.
She desperately fawned on the manager to get this job.
巴结。
Wǒ bù xǐ huan nà zhǒng ài bā jie tóng shì de rén.
I don't like people who are always currying favor with colleagues.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 結; 结 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mì

Sound part声符shēngfú

吉

吉jí結jié

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 結 pairs 糸 with 吉; 吉 gives the sound, and 糸 relates to the meaning. The simplified 结 is a later shorthand.

Appears in