沽名钓誉
gū míng diào yù · HSK 7
to angle for fame
🎣 沽 sell + 名 name + 钓 fish-for + 誉 praise = peddle name, fish praise
Character-by-character: 沽 (sell/buy), 名 (name/reputation), 钓 (angle/fish for), 誉 (honor/praise). The 钓 component literally means fishing with a hook — here applied metaphorically to hunting reputation rather than fish.
名 — evening 夕 + mouth 口
A compound ideograph: in the dark of evening (夕), one cannot recognize others by sight, so the mouth (口) calls out a name to identify oneself. The original sense of 'name' broadened to include reputation, fame, and a measure word for people.