趋炎附势
qū yán fù shì
to fawn on the rich and powerful
Character by character
趋qū
hasten to
hasten to
炎yán
heat
heat
附fù
cling to
cling to
势shì
power
power
Example
他落难的时候，那些趋炎附势的朋友一个也不见了。
When he fell on hard times, all those friends who had fawned on him in his heyday vanished.
Tone: negative (criticism).
Usage and origin
炎 is “heat”: someone whose star is rising. Common as 趋炎附势之徒 or 趋炎附势的小人; contrast 雪中送炭, helping someone when they are down.
Learn this in Lesson 251 · HSK 9+: 《儒林外史》 (The Scholars)
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