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kowtow

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kowtow

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++kow·tow /ˌkaʊˈtaʊ/ verb [intransitive] informal  BENDto be too eager to obey or be polite to someone in authority 顺从,唯命是从kowtow to We will not kowtow to the government. 我们不会对政府卑躬屈膝。→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
kowtow toMembers of Congress shouldn't be kowtowing to special interest groups.
Origin kowtow (1800-1900) Chinese ke tou to hit your head; because when you bow very low you hit your head on the floor
kow·tow verbChineseSyllable
too or to Corpus be obey eager to polite be


kowtow
kowtow /ˌkaʊˈtaʊ/ verb [intransitive] informal
 Date: 1800-1900
 Language: Chinese
 Origin: ke tou 'to hit your head'; because when you bow very low you hit your head on the floor
to be too eager to obey or be polite to someone in authority
    kowtow to
    We will not kowtow to the government.


kow·towBrE /ˌkaʊˈtaʊ/ 🔊NAmE /ˌkaʊˈtaʊ/ 🔊 verbpresent simple - I / you / we / they kowtow BrE /ˌkaʊˈtaʊ/ 🔊 NAmE /ˌkaʊˈtaʊ/ 🔊present simple - he / she / it kowtows BrE /ˌkaʊˈtaʊz/ 🔊 NAmE /ˌkaʊˈtaʊz/ 🔊past simple kowtowed BrE /ˌkaʊˈtaʊd/ 🔊 NAmE /ˌkaʊˈtaʊd/ 🔊past participle kowtowed BrE /ˌkaʊˈtaʊd/ 🔊 NAmE /ˌkaʊˈtaʊd/ 🔊 -ing form kowtowing BrE /ˌkaʊˈtaʊɪŋ/ 🔊 NAmE /ˌkaʊˈtaʊɪŋ/ 🔊 [intransitive] ~ (to sb/sth) (informal, disapproving) to show sb in authority too much respect and be too willing to obey them 叩头;磕头;卑躬屈膝;唯命是从