To placate someone is to do or say something that makes them stop being angry or upset with you. It is not the same as solving the problem — that is the whole flavour of the word.

To placate someone isplacate某人的意思是 to do or say something做或說某件事， that makes them stop being angry or upset with you讓對方不再對你生氣或不開心。 It is not the same as solving the problem它跟解決問題不是同一回事—— that is the whole flavour of the word這正是這個字整體的味道所在。

You placate a person by giving them something, apologising, agreeing with part of what they say, or making a small change, so that they calm down. Whether the thing they were angry about actually got fixed is a separate question, and often it did not. Because of this, `placate` carries a faint smell of managing people.

You placate a person by giving them something, apologising, agreeing with part of what they say, or making a small change你可以透過給對方東西、道歉、同意對方部分的說法、或做一點小改變，來placate一個人， so that they calm down好讓他們冷靜下來。 Whether the thing they were angry about actually got fixed他們生氣的那件事到底有沒有真的解決， is a separate question是另外一回事， and often it did not而且常常是沒有解決的。 Because of this正因為如此， `placate` carries a faint smell of managing peopleplacate這個字帶著一點「在操控人」的味道。

When a newspaper says the government made a change 'to placate angry farmers', the writer is usually hinting that the change was small and the real purpose was to quiet the noise. When you say a mother placated her crying child with a biscuit, you are not criticising her — the child was upset, the biscuit worked.

When a newspaper says the government made a change 'to placate angry farmers'當新聞說政府做了某個改變是「to placate angry farmers（安撫憤怒的農民）」時， the writer is usually hinting that the change was small作者通常是在暗示這個改變其實很小， and the real purpose was to quiet the noise而真正的目的是要讓吵鬧聲安靜下來。 When you say a mother placated her crying child with a biscuit但當你說一位媽媽用一片餅乾placated了正在哭的孩子時， you are not criticising her你並不是在批評她—— the child was upset, the biscuit worked孩子當時不開心，而餅乾奏效了。

So the word is not always negative, but it always looks at the calming-down from the outside, as an action one person performs on another.

So the word is not always negative所以這個字不見得永遠是負面的， but it always looks at the calming-down from the outside但它永遠是從外面來看這個「安撫下來」的過程， as an action one person performs on another把它當成一個人對另一個人所做的動作。

It is a fairly formal, written word. In speech a Taiwanese student is far more likely to hear 'calm someone down' or 'keep someone happy'.

It is a fairly formal, written word這是一個相當正式、偏書面的字。 In speech a Taiwanese student is far more likely to hear台灣學生在口語中更常聽到的是 'calm someone down' or 'keep someone happy'「calm someone down」或「keep someone happy」。

You placate a person (or a group, or in older religious writing, an angry god) — the object is the angry one, never the anger itself, so 'placate his anger' sounds wrong to a native ear even though it looks logical.

You placate a person (or a group, or in older religious writing, an angry god)你placate的對象是一個人（或一群人，或在較舊的宗教文章裡，是一位發怒的神）， the object is the angry one, never the anger itself受詞是那個生氣的人，而不是「怒氣」本身， so 'placate his anger' sounds wrong to a native ear所以「placate his anger」聽在母語者耳裡會覺得怪， even though it looks logical即使邏輯上看起來說得通。