surface; face; appearance
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesnoun
surface; outward appearance
dialectRefers to the superficial or visible part of something, often implying there may be a different reality underneath.
Dà大
miàn面
r儿
shang上
gǎo搞
de得
hěn很
gān干
jìng净
，
guì柜
zi子
dǐ底
xia下
hái还
yǒu有
chén尘
tǔ土
。
On the surface it's cleaned up nicely, but there's still dust under the cabinet.
Bié别
kàn看
dà大
miàn面
r儿
shang上
hé和
qi气
，
bèi背
dì地
li里
máo矛
dùn盾
bù不
shǎo少
。
Don't just look at the surface harmony; there are quite a few conflicts behind the scenes.
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Zhè这
fáng房
zi子
dà大
miàn面
r儿
shang上
kàn看
zhe着
bù不
cuò错
，
zǐ仔
xì细
kàn看
wèn问
tí题
hěn很
duō多
。
This house looks good on the surface, but upon closer inspection, it has many problems.
noun
face; public image; reputation
dialectRefers to social prestige, dignity, or the need to maintain appearances in front of others.
Gù顾
quán全
dà大
miàn面
r儿
。
To save face / To preserve appearances.
Tā他
zhè这
rén人
zuì最
jiǎng讲
dà大
miàn面
r儿
，
jué绝
bù不
huì会
dāng当
miàn面
ràng让
nǐ你
nán难
kān堪
。
He cares a lot about face; he would never embarrass you in public.
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Zhè这
jiàn件
shì事
guān关
hū乎
gōng公
sī司
de的
dà大
miàn面
r儿
，
bì必
xū须
chǔ处
lǐ理
tuǒ妥
dang当
。
This matter concerns the company's reputation and must be handled properly.