Definition
门面 literally means 'door face' and originally refers to the physical front of a shop or store. It is often used figuratively to mean outward appearance, facade, or the image that one presents to the public — especially in contexts involving keeping up appearances or maintaining a certain impression. In business and social settings, you'll hear it in phrases like 撑门面 (keep up appearances) and 门面功夫 (superficial work).
n.
shop frontstorefrontappearancefacade (often figurative, implying an image maintained for show)
Examples
- 门面。Zhè jiā cāntīng de mén miàn zhuāngxiū de hěn jiǎngjiu.The shop front of this restaurant is very tastefully decorated.
- 门面，。Tā tèbié zhòngshì mén miàn, dàn shíjì shàng gōngsī yǐjīng kuài dǎobì le.He cares a lot about appearances, but in reality the company is about to go bankrupt.
- 门面，。Wèile chēng zhù gōngsī de mén miàn, tāmen jiè qián mǎi le háo chē.In order to maintain the company's facade, they borrowed money to buy a luxury car.
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