Definition
献殷勤 is a verb-object separable compound (离合词) meaning 'to ingratiate oneself' or 'to fawn'. Literally 'offer attentiveness', it describes overly eager flattery or service aimed at winning someone's favor. You can separate the two syllables: 献 and 殷勤, with a measure word or a time expression inserted, e.g. 献了一次殷勤 (offered a round of flattery). It is commonly used with 给 or 对 to specify the target: 向领导献殷勤 (brown-nose the boss). The standard pronunciation is xiàn yīn qín, though the source row lists an incorrect pinyin.
v.o.
to ingratiate oneselfto fawnto curry favor
Examples
- ，献殷勤。Tā wèile dédào gōngzuò, bù tíng de duì lǎobǎn xiàn yān.He keeps fawning over the boss in order to get the job.
- ，。Tā gāng lái gōngsī jiù xiàn le yí cì yīnqín, ràng rén jué de hěn jiǎ.He had just joined the company and already made a show of flattery, which felt very fake.
- 献殷勤，。Bié zài wǒ miànqián xiàn yān le, wǒ bù chī zhè yí tào.Stop working your charms on me — that doesn't work on me.
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