大花脸 (dà huā liǎn) — (Beijing opera) painted-face role (for heroic or fierce characters); (colloquial) dirty face

Definition

A Beijing opera painted-face role for heroic or fierce characters (the 'jing' 净 role). Colloquially, it also means a dirty, mud-smeared face — literally a 'big painted face'.

noun
(Beijing opera) painted-face role (for heroic or fierce characters)(colloquial) dirty face
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 大花脸。
    Tā zài jīng jù lǐ yǎn dà huā liǎn.
    He plays the painted-face role in Beijing opera.
  • ，大花脸。
    Tā liǎn shàng dōu shì ní, chéng le dà huā liǎn.
    His face is all mud, so he has a dirty face.
  • 大花脸。
    dà huā liǎn De biǎo yǎn fēi cháng jīng cǎi.
    The performance of the painted-face role is very exciting.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

大dàmain
花脸painted-face role
花huācolorful脸liǎnface
偏正Modifier + head

In opera, 大 marks the main painted-face role, and 花脸 refers to the colorful facial makeup role.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
化
化huà花
Same sound today

花 pairs 艹 (grass; plant) with 化, which gives the sound.

Open 花 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 臉; 脸 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
⺼Written in full as肉ròubody part
Sound part声符shēngfú
僉
僉qiān臉liǎn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 臉 combines ⺼ (肉, body part) with 僉 as a sound part; the simplified 脸 is a later abbreviation.

Open 脸 →

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