laai1 lung5拉攏拉拢
Jyutpinglaai1 lung5
Yalelāai lúhng
Definition
To win someone over or pull them to one's side; to curry favor to gain someone's support.
colloquialpeoplework
How it's used
Carries a strong negative connotation of manipulation or forming cliques for personal gain. It implies that the person being drawn in is being used as a tool or pawn rather than being invited into a genuine friendship. Use this when describing office politics or suspicious alliances.
Examples
He is always trying to pull colleagues over to his side.
Why bother trying to win him over? He won't help you at all.
Related words
Common phrases
to win people over
to cultivate a connection for personal advantage
Common mistake
Avoid using this to describe making friends or building professional networks, as it sounds like you are plotting something behind people's backs. For neutral or positive relationship building, use 結交 or 建立關係 instead.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
