currying favor; fawning; flattery
Rare, literary noun for sycophantic behavior or insincere flattery to gain advantage. Modern Japanese more often uses ご機嫌取り, おべっか, or 追従.
His words and actions are nothing more than currying favor.
From Chinese 諂媚 (chǎnmèi). The exact historical derivation in Japanese is uncertain; the word is a rare literary borrowing.