讨好

討好

tǎohǎo

verb HSK 7-9 #8,064

Meanings

1 to curry favor; to try to please
2 to ingratiate oneself with

Characters

to seek; to beg for

Examples

他总是讨好老板。

Tā zǒngshì tǎohǎo lǎobǎn.

He's always trying to please the boss.

你不用讨好任何人。

Nǐ bùyòng tǎohǎo rènhérén.

You don't need to try to please anyone.

费力不讨好的事，别做了。

Fèilìbùtǎohǎo de shì, bié zuò le.

Don't bother doing thankless work.

Tips

usage

讨好 usually has a negative connotation, implying insincere flattery. The idiom 费力不讨好 (fèilì bù tǎohǎo) means 'a thankless task' — putting in effort but getting no appreciation.

Stroke Order

讨 tǎo

好 hǎo