拍马屁

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拍马屁 [2025/08/13 23:47] – created xiaoer拍马屁 [Unknown date] (current) – removed - external edit (Unknown date) 127.0.0.1
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-====== pāimǎpì: 拍马屁 - To Flatter, To Suck Up, To Brown-Nose ====== +
-===== Quick Summary ===== +
-  * **Keywords:** pāi mǎ pì, 拍马屁, Chinese for flatter, Chinese for sucking up, what does pai ma pi mean, brown-nosing in China, Chinese office culture, complimenting your boss in Chinese, Chinese slang, Chinese idioms +
-  * **Summary:** Learn the meaning of **拍马屁 (pāi mǎ pì)**, a popular Chinese slang term that literally translates to "pat the horse's butt." This phrase describes the act of insincere flattery, sucking up, or brown-nosing, usually directed towards a superior to gain favor. This guide explores its cultural origins, modern usage in Chinese office culture, and how to give genuine compliments without accidentally "pāi mǎ pì". +
-===== Core Meaning ===== +
-  * **Pinyin (with tone marks):** pāi mǎ pì +
-  * **Part of Speech:** Verb Phrase (often functions as a single verb) +
-  * **HSK Level:** HSK 6 +
-  * **Concise Definition:** To insincerely flatter or curry favor with someone, especially a superior. +
-  * **In a Nutshell:** "Pāi mǎ pì" isn't just giving a compliment; it's the act of laying it on thick for personal gain. Imagine a colleague telling the boss their terrible idea is "genius" just to get on their good side. That's a perfect example of 拍马屁. The phrase carries a strong negative, comical, and slightly contemptuous connotation. It's what you accuse others of doing, not something you'd proudly admit to. +
-===== Character Breakdown ===== +
-  * **拍 (pāi):** To pat, clap, or slap lightly. +
-  * **马 (mǎ):** Horse. +
-  * **屁 (pì):** Buttocks, rear end. +
-The characters combine to create the vivid and slightly ridiculous image of "patting a horse's butt." The most common origin story traces back to the Yuan Dynasty when Mongol officials and horsemen were a major part of the ruling class. To curry favor with them, a Han Chinese person might encounter their horse, pat its hindquarters, and exclaim, "What a fine horse!" (好马!). This was an indirect way of praising the owner. Over time, this practice became associated with any form of insincere, self-serving flattery, and the term **拍马屁** was born. +
-===== Cultural Context and Significance ===== +
-In Chinese culture, which often values hierarchy and social harmony, building good relationships or [[关系]] (guānxi) is crucial. However, **拍马屁** is seen as a crude and undignified way to do so. It's the opposite of subtlety and sincerity. +
-  * **Comparison to "Sucking Up":** The concept is nearly identical to "sucking up" or "brown-nosing" in Western culture. The key difference lies in the cultural backdrop of "face" or [[面子]] (miànzi). Being caught in the act of **拍马屁** can cause a significant loss of face for the flatterer, as it exposes their lack of integrity and dignity. If a superior is seen to enjoy obvious flattery too much, they can also lose face by appearing foolish or vain. +
-  * **Sincerity vs. Strategy:** While showing respect to elders and superiors is a core value, that respect is expected to be genuine. **拍马屁** is condemned because it's purely transactional and transparently false. It's a low-brow strategy that sophisticated individuals are expected to see through. +
-===== Practical Usage in Modern China ===== +
-**拍马屁** is an extremely common colloquial term, used frequently in informal conversations, especially when gossiping or complaining about workplace dynamics. +
-  * **In the Office:** This is the term's natural habitat. It's used to describe colleagues who shamelessly flatter their managers. +
-    * //"Look at him, always laughing at the boss's unfunny jokes. He's such a suck-up."// +
-  * **In Social Life:** It can be used to describe someone trying to ingratiate themselves with a wealthy or influential person. +
-  * **Connotation and Tone:** It is almost exclusively negative and often used sarcastically or with disdain. You would never seriously say, "I'm going to go flatter my boss" using this term, unless you were making a self-deprecating joke. It's an accusation, not a declaration of intent. +
-===== Example Sentences ===== +
-  * **Example 1:** +
-    * 他最会**拍马屁**了，老板的每个决定他都说好。 +
-    * Pinyin: Tā zuì huì **pāi mǎ pì** le, lǎobǎn de měi ge juédìng tā dōu shuō hǎo. +
-    * English: He's the best at sucking up; he says every decision the boss makes is a good one. +
-    * Analysis: This is a classic use of the term to criticize a colleague's sycophantic behavior in a work environment. +
-  * **Example 2:** +
-    * 我不是在**拍马屁**，我是真心觉得您的演讲非常精彩。 +
-    * Pinyin: Wǒ búshì zài **pāi mǎ pì**, wǒ shì zhēnxīn juéde nín de yǎnjiǎng fēicháng jīngcǎi. +
-    * English: I'm not trying to flatter you, I genuinely think your speech was brilliant. +
-    * Analysis: Here, the speaker explicitly denies that they are "pāi mǎ pì"-ing to emphasize the sincerity of their compliment. This shows how aware people are of the negative connotation. +
-  * **Example 3:** +
-    * 你别再**拍**老板**马屁**了，他心里清楚得很。 +
-    * Pinyin: Nǐ bié zài **pāi** lǎobǎn **mǎ pì** le, tā xīnlǐ qīngchǔ de hěn. +
-    * English: Stop sucking up to the boss, he knows exactly what you're doing. +
-    * Analysis: Notice how the phrase can be split by the object of the flattery (老板). This is a very common grammatical structure: **拍 + [Person] + 的 + 马屁**. +
-  * **Example 4:** +
-    * 为了得到那个职位，他不惜天天给经理**拍马屁**。 +
-    * Pinyin: Wèile dédào nàge zhíwèi, tā bùxī tiāntiān gěi jīnglǐ **pāi mǎ pì**. +
-    * English: In order to get that position, he doesn't hesitate to suck up to the manager every day. +
-    * Analysis: This sentence highlights the self-serving motivation behind the act. The phrase `给 [Person] 拍马屁` (gěi [Person] pāi mǎ pì) is another common way to structure the sentence. +
-  * **Example 5:** +
-    * 有些人**拍马屁**的技术太差，让人觉得很尴尬。 +
-    * Pinyin: Yǒuxiē rén **pāi mǎ pì** de jìshù tài chà, ràng rén juéde hěn gāngà. +
-    * English: Some people's flattering skills are so bad, it just makes others feel awkward. +
-    * Analysis: A humorous take, treating "pāi mǎ pì" as a "skill" (技术, jìshù) that can be done well or poorly. +
-  * **Example 6:** +
-    * 他是个有名的**马屁精**。 +
-    * Pinyin: Tā shì ge yǒumíng de **mǎpìjīng**. +
-    * English: He's a famous brown-noser. +
-    * Analysis: This example uses the noun form, [[马屁精]] (mǎpìjīng), which literally means "flattery spirit/expert," to label a person who is known for this behavior. +
-  * **Example 7:** +
-    * 我受不了这种需要不停**拍马屁**的工作环境。 +
-    * Pinyin: Wǒ shòubuliǎo zhè zhǒng xūyào bùtíng **pāi mǎ pì** de gōngzuò huánjìng. +
-    * English: I can't stand this kind of work environment that requires constant sucking up. +
-    * Analysis: This shows how the phrase can be used to describe a culture or an environment, not just a single act. +
-  * **Example 8:** +
-    * 你觉得我刚才那样说是**拍马屁**吗？ +
-    * Pinyin: Nǐ juéde wǒ gāngcái nàyàng shuō shì **pāi mǎ pì** ma? +
-    * English: Do you think what I just said sounded like I was sucking up? +
-    * Analysis: A good example of someone asking for a reality check, worried that their genuine compliment might have been misinterpreted. +
-  * **Example 9:** +
-    * **拍马屁**拍到了马腿上。 +
-    * Pinyin: **Pāi mǎ pì** pāi dào le mǎ tuǐ shàng. +
-    * English: He patted the horse's butt but ended up patting its leg. +
-    * Analysis: This is a common saying that means an attempt at flattery has backfired completely. It's a clever+