Definition
丢面子 (literally 'throw away face') is a culturally important phrase in Chinese social life. It means to lose face — to be publicly embarrassed, to lose the respect of others, or to damage one's social standing and dignity. This is a separable verb (离合词): you can insert words like 了 (completed action), 过 (past experience), or even a measure word (一次面子) between 丢 and 面子. The most common pattern is 丢了面子.
v.o.
to lose faceto be publicly embarrassedto suffer loss of dignity or social standing
Examples
- ，丢面子。Zài zhème duō rén miànqián chūchǒu, tā juéde hěn diū miàn zi.He felt he lost face by making a fool of himself in front of so many people.
- ，。Shàng cì kāihuì tā diū le miànzi, zhè cì tèbié xiǎoxīn.He lost face at the last meeting, so this time he's especially careful.
- 丢面子，。Wèile bù diū miàn zi, tā xuǎnzé le chénmò.To avoid losing face, he chose to remain silent.
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.