献媚 (xiàn mèi) — to ingratiate oneself with, to fawn upon; to act coquettishly, to flirt (to gain favor)

Definition

献媚 means to flatter or flirt with someone to win their favor — usually to get a personal benefit. Carries a strongly negative tone: it implies insincere, calculated behavior rather than genuine politeness.

verb
to ingratiate oneself withto fawn uponto act coquettishlyto flirt (to gain favor)

Examples

  • 献媚，。
    Tā zǒng shì zài lǐng dǎo miàn qián xiàn mèi, ràng rén hěn bù shū fu.
    He always fawns on his superiors, which makes people very uncomfortable.
  • 献媚，。
    Tā gù yì zài lǎo bǎn miàn qián xiàn mèi, qǐ tú jiā xīn.
    She deliberately acted coquettishly in front of the boss, hoping for a raise.
  • ，献媚。
    Tā bú kào shí gàn, kào xiàn mèi shàng wèi.
    He didn't rely on actual work but on sycophancy to climb the ladder.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

献xiànoffer
媚mèiflattery

“献” means offer and “媚” means flattery, so offering flattery is fawning.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 獻; 献 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
犬犬quǎndog
Sound part声符shēngfú
鬳
鬳yàn獻xiàn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 獻 combines 鬳, which gives the sound, with 犬, a dog. The simplified 献 is a later shorthand.

Open 献 →

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
女女nǚ
Sound part声符shēngfú
眉
眉méi媚mèi
Same sound today

媚 pairs 女 with 眉; 女 carries the meaning and 眉 gives the sound.

Open 媚 →

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