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🇨🇳Chinese Source WordCode: ZH

讨好

Pronunciation / Transliteration: tǎohǎo

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Curry-favour/ˌkʌr.iˈfeɪ.vər/
verbCEFR C2 (Proficient)Top #14500 frequency
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🇨🇳 Example Sentence in Chinese:

"他总是试图讨好经理以获得晋升。"

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

1 sense
As verb
  1. 1

    To seek to gain favor by flattery or attention; to ingratiate oneself insincerely.

    "He tried to curry-favour with the director by constantly agreeing with all of her proposals."
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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Originating in the late 14th century, this phrase is a remarkable folk etymological corruption of Middle English 'curren favel', derived from Old French 'correr fauvel' (to rub the fallow horse). In an allegorical 14th-century French satirical poem, 'Fauvel' represented deceit and cunning, so grooming or rubbing the fallow horse became a metaphor for deceitful flattery and ingratiation to gain advantage.

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