Translation of a slang for 'mutual flattering'

Question

circle jerk

2. (vulgar, slang) Any group or group activity indulging in excessive mutual praise.

When I try to translate this term in this context, I come up with 互相吹捧 and 互相奉承 (mutual flattering). It gets closer if I reduce 互相吹捧 to 互捧. But it doesn't contain any vulgarness or even derogatory sense like the English original does.

Question: Is there a counterpart in Chinese that matches this particular vulgar slang?

My impression is it is unlikely because excessively praising each other is not considered unseemly behavior in Chinese culture in general

Answer 1

Depending on the context and situation you can consider some of these:

自嗨

Douban

因为难以忍受这种circle-jerk话题的自嗨臭屁。

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I originally wrote this as a joke but I think it's quite apt:

互相捧场，共同成长(cháng)

I won't explain it here though.

Answer 2

Depending on your audience and degree of formality, I would offer a more graphic expression that originates in Cantonese "互相擦鞋" - shining each other's shoes.

Answer 3

I would suggest 商业互吹/互捧臭脚 as popular and vulgar substitutes for 互相吹捧. These two words are trending slangs recently in Chinese online communities describing the phenomenon "circle jerk".

Answer 4

My impression is it is unlikely because excessively praising each other is not considered unseemly behavior in Chinese culture in general

I forgot a fact that even 互相吹捧 or 互相奉承 is not considered unseemly, the term 奉承 does contain derogatory sense. There is slang for 奉承, and it is 拍馬屁 (flatter; kiss ass, brown nose), which is somewhat a derogatory term, therefore, 互拍馬屁 or 互相拍馬 would match 'circle jerk' quite closely.

Answer 5

互戴高帽：(literal:) put a tall hat in each other's head

戴高帽 means to praise, often to the level of flattering.

So 互戴高帽 means to flatter each other.