投其所好 tóu qí suǒ hào cater to one's preferences

Explanation

迎合别人的喜好，满足别人的愿望。

To cater to others' preferences and satisfy their wishes.

Origin Story

话说唐朝时期，有个叫李白的诗仙，他性格豪放不羁，才华横溢，却也恃才傲物，喜欢结交朋友，但朋友多了，难免会有不投缘的。一日，李白宴请宾客，席间，一位官员滔滔不绝地谈论诗歌，但他对诗歌的理解过于浅薄，甚至对李白的诗歌也多有误解。李白本想直言相劝，但考虑到官场的尔虞我诈，他并没有这样做。而是顺着官员的话，说了些夸赞的话。众人皆为官员的“诗才”惊叹不已，宴席气氛十分融洽。官员对李白的“欣赏”也更加强烈，临走的时候，还特意赠予李白不少珍贵的礼物。李白心想，与其与他争辩，不如投其所好，让他高兴高兴，说不定以后会有更多的机会。日后，这位官员多次在皇上面前为李白说好话，李白也因此得到皇上的赏识。这个故事说明了，有时候，为了达到目的，投其所好也是一种策略，但不能因此而失去自己的原则。

huà shuō táng cháo shíqī, yǒu gè jiào lǐ bái de shī xiān, tā xìnggé háofàng bùjī, cáihuá héngyì, què yě shì cái àowù, xǐhuan jiéjiāo péngyou, dàn péngyou duōle, nánmiǎn huì yǒu bù tóuyán de. yī rì, lǐ bái yàn qǐng bīn kè, xí jiān, yī wèi guān yúan tāotāo bùjué dì tánlùn shīgē, dàn tā duì shīgē de lǐjiě guòyú qiǎnbó, shènzhì duì lǐ bái de shīgē yě duō yǒu wùjiě. lǐ bái běn xiǎng zhíyán xiāngquàn, dàn kǎolǜ guānchǎng de ěr yú zhà, tā bìng méiyǒu zhèyàng zuò. ér shì shùnzhe guān yúan de huà, shuōle xiē kuāzàn de huà. zhòng rén jiē wèi guān yúan de “shī cái” jīngtàn bù yǐ, yàn xí qìfēn shífēn róngqià. guān yúan duì lǐ bái de “xīnshǎng” yě gèngjiā qiángliè, lín zǒu de shíhòu, hái tèyì zèngyǔ lǐ bái bù shǎo zhēnguì de lǐwù. lǐ bái xīnxiǎng, yǔ qí yǔ tā zhēngbiàn, bùrú tóu qí suǒ hǎo, ràng tā gāoxìng gāoxìng, shuō bùdìng yǐhòu huì yǒu gèng duō de jīhuì. rì hòu, zhè wèi guān yúan duō cì zài huángshàng miàn qián wèi lǐ bái shuō hǎo huà, lǐ bái yě yīncǐ dédào huángshàng de shǎngshí. zhège gùshì shuōmíng le, yǒuxiē shíhòu, wèile dádào mùdì, tóu qí suǒ hǎo yě shì yī zhǒng cèlüè, dàn bù néng yīncǐ ér shīqù zìjǐ de yuánzé.

During the Tang Dynasty, there was a poet named Li Bai. He was known for his unrestrained nature, extraordinary talent, and arrogance. He loved making friends, but not all of them were compatible with him. One day, Li Bai held a banquet for his guests. During the banquet, an official talked incessantly about poetry, but his understanding of poetry was superficial, and he even misunderstood Li Bai's poems. Li Bai wanted to directly correct him, but he refrained, knowing the intrigues of the court. Instead, he played along with the official and praised him. Everyone was impressed by the official's "poetic talent," and the atmosphere was very pleasant. The official admired Li Bai even more and gave Li Bai many valuable gifts when he left. Li Bai thought, instead of arguing with him, it was better to cater to his preferences and please him. Maybe he would have more opportunities in the future. Later, this official praised Li Bai many times before the emperor, and Li Bai was appreciated by the emperor. This story shows that sometimes, it's a strategy to cater to others' preferences in order to achieve a goal. But one should not lose their own principles because of this.

Usage

形容迎合别人的爱好。

xióngróng yínghé biérén de àihào

Describes catering to others' preferences.

Examples

• 为了更好地完成任务，我们要投其所好，才能事半功倍。

  wèile gèng hǎo de wánchéng rènwù, wǒmen yào tóu qí suǒ hǎo, cáinéng shì bàn gōng bèi

  To better accomplish the task, we must cater to their preferences in order to achieve more with less.

• 做生意要投其所好，才能吸引顾客。

  zuò shēngyi yào tóu qí suǒ hǎo, cáinéng xīyǐn gùkè

  In business, you must cater to people's preferences in order to attract customers.

• 教育孩子要投其所好，才能引导他们健康成长。

  jiàoyù háizi yào tóu qí suǒ hǎo, cáinéng yǐndǎo tāmen jiànkāng chéngzhǎng

  Education should cater to children's preferences in order to guide their healthy growth.

Related Idioms

• 投机取巧

• 阿谀奉承

Opposite Idioms

• 坚持原则

• 不偏不倚