maai6 hou2賣好卖好
Jyutpingmaai6 hou2
Yalemaaih hóu
Definition
To curry favor or ingratiate oneself with someone.
colloquialpeopleemotion
How it's used
This phrase carries a strong negative connotation of insincerity and manipulative behaviour. It implies the person is acting in a servile or sycophantic way to gain personal advantage. It is almost exclusively used to criticize someone else's character rather than to describe one's own actions.
Examples
He is always trying to curry favour with the boss, it is really disgusting.
Related words
Common phrases
deliberately curry favour
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with the Mandarin term 賣好, which can sometimes mean to show kindness or do a favour for someone. In Cantonese, the focus is strictly on the performative and often fake nature of the act to win approval.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
