make a fool of oneself; act in a ridiculous way
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 5 examplesverb phrase
to make a fool of oneself; to act in a ridiculous or embarrassing way
informal常用来形容在公众场合做出不得体、可笑或尴尬的事情。来源可能与早期中国人看外国人（洋人）的奇异打扮或行为有关。
Tā他
zuó昨
tiān天
zài在
huì会
yì议
shàng上
fā发
yán言
shí时
，
bǎ把
shù数
jù据
quán全
shuō说
cuò错
le了
，
zhēn真
shì是
chū出
yáng洋
xiàng相
le了
。
He really made a fool of himself yesterday at the meeting when he got all the data wrong during his speech.
Nǐ你
chuān穿
chéng成
zhè这
yàng样
qù去
cān参
jiā加
zhèng正
shì式
wǎn晚
yàn宴
，
bù不
pà怕
chū出
yáng洋
xiàng相
ma吗
？
Aren't you afraid of embarrassing yourself by dressing like this for a formal dinner party?
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Tā他
hē喝
zuì醉
hòu后
zài在
jiē街
shàng上
shǒu手
wǔ舞
zú足
dǎo蹈
，
chū出
le了
gè个
dà大
yáng洋
xiàng相
。
He got drunk and danced wildly in the street, making a huge spectacle of himself.
Bié别
wèn问
le了
，
zài再
wèn问
xià下
qù去
wǒ我
jiù就
yào要
chū出
yáng洋
xiàng相
le了
，
wǒ我
gēn根
běn本
bù不
dǒng懂
zhè这
ge个
。
Stop asking, or I'll make a fool of myself—I don't understand this at all.
Tā他
běn本
xiǎng想
zhǎn展
shì示
chú厨
yì艺
，
jié结
guǒ果
bǎ把
cài菜
shāo烧
jiāo焦
le了
，
zài在
kè客
rén人
miàn面
qián前
chū出
le了
yáng洋
xiàng相
。
He wanted to show off his cooking skills, but ended up burning the dish and making a fool of himself in front of the guests.