qūyánfùshì: 趋炎附势 - To Fawn on the Powerful; Opportunistic; Sycophantic

• Keywords: qu yan fu shi, 趋炎附势, sycophant, sycophantic, opportunist, social climber, fair-weather friend, to fawn on the powerful, Chinese idiom, chengyu, brown-noser, bootlicker, snobbish
• Summary: The Chinese idiom 趋炎附势 (qū yán fù shì) vividly describes the negative behavior of a sycophant or social climber who eagerly fawns on the rich and powerful while scorning the weak or less fortunate. This term is a strong criticism of someone's character, highlighting their lack of loyalty and integrity. Understanding 趋炎附势 is key to grasping Chinese cultural values around relationships, loyalty, and social status.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): qū yán fù shì
• Part of Speech: Idiom (Chengyu); can function as a verb or adjective.
• HSK Level: N/A (Considered an advanced term)
• Concise Definition: To chase after the “flame” (the powerful) and attach oneself to their influence.
• In a Nutshell: Imagine someone who completely ignores their old friends but suddenly becomes incredibly friendly and helpful to a colleague who just got a promotion. That is the essence of 趋炎附势. It paints a picture of a person who treats relationships like a stock market, investing only in those whose “value” is rising and dumping those whose influence is falling. It carries a heavy sense of moral condemnation for being a disloyal, opportunistic, fair-weather friend.

• 趋 (qū): To chase, to hurry towards, to pursue.
• 炎 (yán): Flame, blazing hot. Metaphorically, this represents people who are “hot” right now—the powerful, famous, or influential.
• 附 (fù): To attach, to cling to, to rely on.
• 势 (shì): Power, influence, authority.

The characters combine to create a powerful image: “To chase the flame and cling to the power.” This idiom literally illustrates the act of running towards those in power to attach oneself to them for personal gain.

• Cultural Importance: The strong negative connotation of 趋炎附势 is rooted in traditional Confucian values that prioritize loyalty (忠, zhōng), integrity (义, yì), and genuine human relationships (人情, rénqíng). A person who is 趋炎附势 is seen as violating these core principles. They are untrustworthy, selfish, and lack moral backbone (没骨气, méi gǔqì). In Chinese history and literature, court officials who behaved this way were often portrayed as villains.
• Comparison to Western Concepts: This term is much stronger and more judgmental than its English equivalents like “social climber” or “networking.” While “networking” can be a neutral or even positive term for building professional connections, 趋炎附势 implies a moral failing. A “social climber” might be viewed with a mix of disdain and grudging admiration for their ambition in the West, but someone described as 趋炎附势 in China is almost universally seen as a despicable character. The key difference is the implied act of abandoning or looking down upon the less fortunate while fawning over the powerful.

This idiom, while classical, is very much alive in modern China.

• Office Politics: It's frequently used to describe colleagues who shamelessly flatter their bosses to get ahead. This behavior is called 巴结领导 (bājié lǐngdǎo), and 趋炎附势 is a more formal way to describe this personality type.
• Social Commentary: People use it on social media and in news articles to criticize celebrities, business people, or anyone who appears to change their allegiances based on who is currently popular or powerful.
• Personal Relationships: It can be used to describe a “fair-weather friend” who disappears during tough times but reappears when you are successful.

The term is always highly negative and is used as a criticism or insult. You would never describe yourself or someone you respect as 趋炎附势.

• Example 1:
  • 他是个趋炎附势的小人，谁有权力他就讨好谁。
  • Pinyin: Tā shì ge qū yán fù shì de xiǎorén, shéi yǒu quánlì tā jiù tǎohǎo shéi.
  • English: He's a sycophantic villain; he'll flatter whoever is in power.
  • Analysis: This is a direct and harsh criticism of someone's character. 小人 (xiǎorén), meaning “small person” or “villain,” is often paired with this idiom to emphasize the moral condemnation.
• Example 2:
  • 自从他升职以后，许多趋炎附势的亲戚都来联系他了。
  • Pinyin: Zìcóng tā shēngzhí yǐhòu, xǔduō qū yán fù shì de qīnqi dōu lái liánxì tā le.
  • English: Ever since he got promoted, many of his opportunistic relatives have started contacting him.
  • Analysis: Here, 趋炎附势 is used as an adjective to describe the relatives. It highlights that their renewed interest is not genuine, but motivated by his new status.
• Example 3:
  • 我最看不起那种趋炎附势、嫌贫爱富的人。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ zuì kànbuqǐ nà zhǒng qū yán fù shì, xián pín ài fù de rén.
  • English: I look down on that type of person who fawns on the powerful and disdains the poor.
  • Analysis: This sentence pairs 趋炎附势 with a related idiom, 嫌贫爱富 (xián pín ài fù - to disdain the poor and love the rich), to paint a fuller picture of a snob. 看不起 (kànbuqǐ) means “to look down on.”
• Example 4:
  • 在这个行业里，你要么有真本事，要么就得学会趋炎附势。
  • Pinyin: Zài zhège hángyè lǐ, nǐ yàome yǒu zhēn běnshi, yàome jiù děi xuéhuì qū yán fù shì.
  • English: In this industry, you either need real skills, or you have to learn to suck up to the powerful.
  • Analysis: This is a cynical observation about a competitive environment. The speaker presents 趋炎附势 as a distasteful but potentially necessary survival tactic.
• Example 5:
  • 他对老板的态度简直就是趋炎附势的典范。
  • Pinyin: Tā duì lǎobǎn de tàidù jiǎnzhí jiùshì qū yán fù shì de diǎnfàn.
  • English: His attitude towards the boss is a perfect example of being sycophantic.
  • Analysis: 典范 (diǎnfàn) means “model” or “paragon.” Here it's used sarcastically to say someone is the “textbook definition” of a bootlicker.
• Example 6:
  • 真正的朋友不会在你失意时离开，只有趋炎附势之徒才会这么做。
  • Pinyin: Zhēnzhèng de péngyou bù huì zài nǐ shīyì shí líkāi, zhǐyǒu qū yán fù shì zhī tú cái huì zhème zuò.
  • English: Real friends won't leave you when you're down; only opportunistic followers would do that.
  • Analysis: 之徒 (zhī tú) is a formal way of saying “a type of person” or “follower,” often with a negative connotation. This sentence contrasts true friendship with opportunistic behavior.
• Example 7:
  • 他放弃了多年的合作伙伴，转而去跟那家大公司合作，被很多人批评为趋炎附势。
  • Pinyin: Tā fàngqìle duōnián de hézuò huǒbàn, zhuǎn'ér qù gēn nà jiā dà gōngsī hézuò, bèi hěnduō rén pīpíng wèi qū yán fù shì.
  • English: He abandoned his long-term partner to work with that big corporation instead, and was criticized by many for being an opportunist.
  • Analysis: This shows how the idiom can be applied in a business context to describe a company or individual making a purely power-based decision, abandoning loyalty.
• Example 8:
  • 我们要教育孩子做一个正直的人，而不是趋炎附势的人。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen yào jiàoyù háizi zuò yī ge zhèngzhí de rén, ér bùshì qū yán fù shì de rén.
  • English: We need to teach our children to be people of integrity, not people who fawn on the powerful.
  • Analysis: This highlights the moral dimension of the term. It's presented as the direct opposite of being an upright and honest (正直, zhèngzhí) person.
• Example 9:
  • 在古代，许多官员为了保住官位而不得不趋炎附势。
  • Pinyin: Zài gǔdài, xǔduō guānyuán wèile bǎozhù guānwèi ér bùdébù qū yán fù shì.
  • English: In ancient times, many officials had no choice but to be sycophantic in order to protect their positions.
  • Analysis: This provides a historical context, acknowledging that this behavior was sometimes a matter of political survival. 不得不 (bùdébù) means “to have no choice but to.”
• Example 10:
  • 他一生清高，从不趋炎附势。
  • Pinyin: Tā yīshēng qīnggāo, cóng bù qū yán fù shì.
  • English: He was aloof and noble his whole life, never once fawning on the powerful.
  • Analysis: This sentence uses the term in the negative (从不, cóng bù - never) to praise someone's character. 清高 (qīnggāo) means having integrity and standing aloof from worldly pursuits, the direct opposite of a sycophant.

• Mistake 1: Confusing it with ambition.
  • A person who is ambitious (有野心, yǒu yěxīn) has a strong desire to succeed. This can be neutral or positive. 趋炎附势 is not about the desire to succeed, but about the *method*: using flattery and abandoning principles to leech off the success of others.
  • Incorrect: 他努力工作，可见他很趋炎附势。 (He works hard, so you can see he's a sycophant.)
  • Why it's wrong: Hard work is the opposite of 趋炎附势. The focus should be on fawning behavior, not effort.
• Mistake 2: Confusing it with normal networking.
  • Building a professional network (建立关系, jiànlì guānxì) is a normal part of life and business. The key distinction is that 趋炎附势 involves a clear power imbalance and often includes scorn for the less powerful. It's transactional and disloyal. If you are respectful to your boss while also being kind to the janitor, you are not 趋炎附势. If you flatter your boss and bully the janitor, you are.

• 拍马屁 (pāi mǎpì): “To pat the horse's butt.” The most common and colloquial term for “to flatter” or “to bootlick.” It describes the action, whereas 趋炎附势 describes the entire character trait.
• 阿谀奉承 (ē yú fèng chéng): A more formal, literary synonym for flattery and fawning. It's very close in meaning to 拍马屁 but more elegant.
• 见风使舵 (jiàn fēng shǐ duò): “To see the wind and steer the rudder.” An opportunist who quickly adapts to the prevailing situation for their own benefit. This person is likely to also be 趋炎附势.
• 嫌贫爱富 (xián pín ài fù): “To disdain the poor and love the rich.” Describes the attitude of a snob, which is the core motivation for 趋炎附势 behavior.
• 势利眼 (shìlìyǎn): Literally “power-profit eye.” A noun for a snob; a person who judges others based on their wealth and status. This is the type of person who engages in 趋炎附势.
• 墙头草 (qiángtóucǎo): “Grass on a wall.” A metaphor for someone who lacks principles and sways with whichever side is stronger, like grass bending in the wind.
• 有骨气 (yǒu gǔqì): (Antonym) “To have backbone.” Describes a person with integrity and self-respect who would never stoop to 趋炎附势.
• 忠诚 (zhōngchéng): (Antonym) Loyalty, faithfulness. The core virtue that a 趋炎附势 person lacks.