捧

• Pinyin: pěng
• Hanzi breakdown: 捧 = 扌 + 奉 (hand radical + offer reverently — to hold up with both hands as an offering)

Meaning

To hold in cupped hands; to carry with both hands raised; to flatter or lavish excessive praise on someone.

The literal sense is carrying something carefully with both palms upturned. Figuratively, 捧 means to praise someone excessively — often implying insincere flattery. Extended forms: 捧场 (show up to support), 捧杀 (praise someone to their ruin), 吹捧 (flatter).

Examples

1. 她双手捧着那枚奖牌，眼眶泛红，激动得难以言表。 She held the medal in both hands, her eyes welling up, too moved for words.
2. 这部电影被媒体过分追捧，观众进场后却大失所望。 The media hyped this movie excessively, but audiences were deeply disappointed once they got into the theater.
3. 他一向直言不讳，从不愿意捧任何人，即便是上级也不例外。 He’s always outspoken and never flatters anyone—not even his superiors.

Usage Guide

Context: gesture, media, social interaction, interpersonal

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 她小心翼翼地捧着那只刚出生的幼猫，生怕惊扰了这脆弱的小生命。(She carefully cradled the newborn kitten in her cupped hands, afraid of startling this fragile little life.)
• 业界对这位新晋导演的过度吹捧反而给他带来了无形的压力，令他迟迟不敢推出第二部作品。(The industry's excessive flattery of this newly emerged director actually brought him invisible pressure, making him reluctant to release his second work.)

Don't Say

• 他捧了一碗水给我 — use 端 (duān) for carrying bowls, glasses, or dishes; 捧 implies cupped palms, not a container held steadily with one or both hands

Origin & History

扌 (hand) + 奉 (offer reverently) — to present something with both hands held upward as a gesture of respect

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal