沽名钓誉 (gū míng diào yù) — to seek fame and praise through dishonest or pretentious means
Definition
A formal, written chengyu meaning to seek fame and praise by dishonest or showy means — always negative, implying the person doesn't deserve the reputation. Use 沽 for 'selling/angling' and 钓 for 'fishing'; 名 and 誉 both mean reputation.
idiom
to seek fame and praise through dishonest or pretentious means
Examples
- 沽名钓誉。Tā nà zhǒng zuò fǎ wán quán shì gū míng diào yù.His approach is entirely fishing for fame.
- 沽名钓誉。Bié wèi le gū míng diào yù ér zuò chū bù chéng shí de shì.Don't do dishonest things just to seek fame.
- 沽名钓誉，。Tā cān jiā cí shàn huó dòng shì wèi le gū míng diào yù, ér bú shì zhēn xīn bāng zhù bié rén.He participates in charity events to fish for fame, not to genuinely help others.
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