Chinese Conversation · Level 77
90 words
Chinese word
甜言蜜语
Pronunciation
Pinyintián yán mì yǔ
Meaning
- idiomflattery
Example
她被他的甜言蜜语骗了。tā bèi tā de tián yán mì yǔ piàn le
She was fooled by his flattery.
More examples
他总是用甜言蜜语讨好领导。tā zǒng shì yòng tián yán mì yǔ táo hǎo líng dǎo
He always uses flattery to win favor with his boss.
Core concept
Words polished until they taste sweet, drawing someone closer while hiding how little they may mean.
Common phrases
说甜言蜜语shuō tián yán mì yǔ
say flattering things
听甜言蜜语tīng tián yán mì yǔ
listen to flattery
用甜言蜜语讨好yòng tián yán mì yǔ táo hǎo
use flattery to win favor
Similar words
花言巧语huā yán qiáo yǔ: Skillfully decorated praise meant to gain favor or a personal benefit.
拍马屁pāi mǎ pì: Casual direct praise used to curry favor with someone, especially a superior.
Definition in Chinese
用夸张或过分的赞美话语打动对方以获得好感，但常常缺乏真诚。yòng kuā zhāng huò guò fèn de zàn měi huà yǔ dǎ dòng duì fāng yǐ huò dé háo gǎn dàn cháng cháng quē fá zhēn chéng
Word origin
甜 (tián, "sweet") + 言 (yán, "words") and 蜜 (mì, "honey") + 语 (yǔ, "speech") pair sweetness with speech, presenting praise as honeyed words that win favor without promising sincerity.
Usage tips
- In everyday conversation, this word often warns that attractive praise is being used to gain favor, so it sounds more doubtful than ordinary positive praise.
Other meanings
- sweet talknoun
Opposites
- 直言不讳zhí yán bú huìspeak candidlyidiom
- 实话实说shí huà shí shuōspeak honestlyidiom