拍马 (pāi mǎ) — (colloquial) to flatter, to fawn on

Definition

Colloquial verb meaning 'to flatter / fawn on,' usually to gain favor. 拍马屁 is the full set phrase; 拍马 is a clipped spoken form.

verb

(colloquial) to flatterto fawn on

拍马。
Tā zǒng shì zài lǎo bǎn miàn qián pāi mǎ.
He always flatters in front of the boss.
，。
Tā pāi le yí cì mǎ, jiù dé dào le jìn shēng.
He flattered once and got a promotion.
拍马，。
Bié lǎo shì pāi mǎ, yào jiǎo tà shí dì.
Don't always flatter; be down-to-earth.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

拍马 literally patting a horse, used for flattering someone.

Characters in this word

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

白

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

拍 puts 手 (hand) beside 白, which gives the pronunciation.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 馬; 马 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 馬 shows a horse with its head facing left, a flowing mane, and two legs standing vertically.