招摇过市 (zhāo yáo guō) — (set phrase) to act ostentatiously in public; to blatantly seek attention (negative connotation)

Definition

Examples

• 那个明星每天穿得花枝招展，拼命招摇过市，让人很反感。
  Nà ge míng xīng měi tiān chuān dé huā zhī zhāo zhǎn, pīn mìng zhāo yáo guō, ràng rén hěn fǎn gǎn.
  That celebrity dresses flashy every day and desperately swaggers around town, making people dislike him.
• 他为了推销自己的书，在街上四面送签名，显然是故意招摇过市。
  Tā wèi le tuī xiāo zì jǐ de shū, zài jiē shàng sì miàn sòng qiān míng, xiǎn rán shì gù yì zhāo yáo guō.
  He gave out signed copies all over the street to promote his book, clearly seeking attention blatantly.
• 这种招摇过市的做法只会招来别人的白眼，不会赢得尊重。
  Zhè zhǒng zhāo yáo guō de zuò fǎ zhī huì zhāo lái bié rén de bái yǎn, bú huì yíng dé zūn zhòng.
  This kind of ostentatious behavior will only earn you disdain, not respect.