Zài zěnme bǎibānfèngchéng, yě gǎibiànbuliǎo tā duì nǐ de chéngjiàn.
No matter how much you flatter him, you won't change his prejudice against you.
Tips
history
Recorded in Guan Hanqing's Yuan-dynasty zaju play 《金线池》(Jīnxiànchí, The Golden Thread Pond), where a character laments incessant fawning on a guest. The phrase has carried a clearly negative tone ever since.
usage
百般 (bǎibān) means “in a hundred ways / by every means”; 奉承 (fèngchéng) means “to flatter.” Always pejorative — a synonym is 阿谀奉承 (ēyúfèngchéng).
