pāimǎpì: 拍马屁 - To Flatter, To Suck Up, To Brown-Nose

• 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”.

• 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.

• 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.

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.

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 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