cringe and smile obsequiously

cringe and smile obsequiously

Chinese idiom, Pinyin is Xi é Ji à NCH à nxi à o, which means to flatter people, shrink shoulders and pretend to smile. It describes the ugly way of flattering people. From Mencius Teng Wengong II.

Idiom usage

Those people made him a current governor and let him neglect him. ——Ling Mengchu of Ming Dynasty

Idiom story

Gongsun Chou asked Mencius: does a Bachelor of arts not want to contact the ruling authorities? Mencius replied: it depends on the specific situation. He said: "in ancient times, there was a custom that if you were not a minister, you would not see a king. Once upon a time, Wei Wenhou went to visit Duan ganmu, a famous scholar. Duan ganmu jumped over the wall to escape. Lu Mugong went to see Xie Liu, a sage. Xie Liu didn't come out to meet him with the door closed. This is too much. We should see it when necessary. At that time, Yang Hu (the general manager of Ji sun's family, the ruler of the state of Lu in the spring and Autumn period) wanted Confucius to see him, but he couldn't put on airs and refused to visit him first. He even played a trick: when he found out that Confucius was not at home, he sent someone to send him a steamed dolphin (some people said it was ham). According to etiquette, a doctor or a noble official equivalent to a doctor gives a gift to a scholar. If the scholar is not at home and does not accept it in person, he must go to the giver in person afterwards. Confucius knew that this was the trick of Yang Hu, so he went to thank him when he heard that Yang Hu was not at home. If Yang Hu didn't put on airs and play tricks, Confucius would not refuse to meet him like Duan ganmu and Xie Liu. Of course, it is shameful to flatter and flatter the powerful. As Zeng Zi once said, "when you smile, you are ill in summer." This is a conversation between Mencius and his student Gongsun Chou recorded in Mencius Teng Wengong. Zengzi said, "flattery, disease in summer border." (Zeng Zi, named Shen, was born in the state of Lu in the spring and Autumn period and was one of Confucius' disciples. Summer border means working in the fields in summer. It's hard to work in the fields in summer when the sun is burning. However, the despicable attitude of "flattering and laughing on one's shoulders" is worse than Xiaqi in the eyes of upright people, so it is called "sick in Xiaqi".

The origin of Idioms

"Mencius Teng Wen Gong Xia" said: "the hypochondriac smile, sick in the summer border."

Analysis of Idioms

[synonym] fawning and flattering [antonym] being upright and indomitable