Definition
讨好 (tǎo hǎo) means to curry favor or ingratiate oneself, often with a clear goal of personal gain. It is less intensely sycophantic than 巴结 (bā jie), which implies more obsequious flattery, while 迎合 (yíng hé) focuses on catering to someone's tastes. 讨好 also appears in the set phrase 费力不讨好 (a thankless task).
verb
to curry favor withto fawn onto ingratiate oneself with(in 费力不讨好) to get no thanks for one's effortsa thankless task
Examples
- ，讨好。Tā wèile shēngzhí, zǒngshì tǎo hǎo jīnglǐ.He always fawns on the manager in order to get promoted.
- 讨好，。Zhè jiàn shì zhēnshi fèilì bù tǎo hǎo, zuò le yě méi rén gǎnxiè.This task is really a thankless one — even if you do it, nobody thanks you.
- 讨好，。Nǐ zhèyàng tǎo hǎo tā, fǎn'ér ràng tā juéde nǐ bù kěxìn.Fawning over her like this actually makes her think you're untrustworthy.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.