低声下气 to lower oneself; to be humble and submissive
Explanation
形容说话和态度卑下恭顺的样子。
Describes the way of speaking and acting humbly and submissively.
Origin Story
贾府荣华富贵，却在无形中隐藏着危机。宝玉丢玉后，大观园里海棠枯萎，预示着贾府的衰败。袭人作为宝玉贴身丫鬟，目睹着贾府由盛转衰，为了能让宝玉平安度过难关，她不得不低声下气地劝慰宝玉，照顾他的生活起居，在宝玉生病时更是寸步不离地侍奉左右，尽心尽责地履行着丫鬟的职责，她的卑微与付出，都源于对宝玉的忠心和对贾府命运的担忧。
The Jia family's wealth and glory hid an invisible crisis. After Baoyu lost his jade, the crabapple trees in the Grand View Garden withered, foreshadowing the decline of the Jia family. As Baoyu's personal maid, Xiren witnessed the Jia family's decline from prosperity. To help Baoyu safely through the difficulties, she had to humbly and submissively comfort him, take care of his daily life, and even stayed by his side when he was ill, performing her duties diligently. Her humility and devotion stemmed from loyalty to Baoyu and concern for the fate of the Jia family.
Usage
常用作谓语、定语、状语；多用来形容人的态度卑微。
Often used as a predicate, attributive, or adverbial; mostly used to describe a person's humble attitude.
Examples
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他为了保住工作，不得不低声下气地向老板求情。
tā wèile bǎozhù gōngzuò, bùdébù dīshēngxiàqì de xiàng lǎobǎn qiúqíng.
He had to lower himself and beg the boss for mercy in order to keep his job.
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面对强大的对手，他不得不低声下气地谈判。
miàn duì qiángdà de duìshǒu, tā bùdébù dīshēngxiàqì de tánpàn.
In the face of a powerful opponent, he had to negotiate humbly.
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他向她低声下气地道歉，希望得到她的原谅。
tā xiàng tā dīshēngxiàqì de dàoqiàn, xīwàng dédào tā de yuánliàng
He apologized humbly to her, hoping to get her forgiveness