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真面目 (zhēn miàn mù) — true nature, true face, what someone or something is really like (often hidden or disguised)

Definition

真面目 is the 'true nature/true colors' revealed after surface appearances are stripped away — usually hidden or disguised. Often paired with 露出 or 看清 in the sense of unmasking something.

noun
true nature, true face, what someone or something is really like (often hidden or disguised)

Examples

  • ，真面目。
    Tā biǎo miàn shàng hěn yǒu hǎo, dàn zuì hòu lù chū le zhēn miàn mù.
    He seemed friendly on the surface, but in the end he showed his true nature.
  • ，真面目。
    Shí jiān jiǔ le, nǐ jiù huì kàn qīng yí gè rén de zhēn miàn mù.
    Over time, you'll see a person's true colors.
  • 真面目。
    Zhè jiàn shì ràng wǒ men kàn dào le shì qing de zhēn miàn mù.
    This matter let us see the true nature of things.

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.

真zhēntrue
面目face
面miànface目mùeye
联合Coordinate

真 true, 面 face, and 目 eye combine for one's true face or nature.

Characters in this word

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
貝貝bèicowrie; shell
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠂈
𠂈𠂈真zhēn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

真 pairs 貝 (cowrie shell, used for the meaning) with 𠂈, which gave the sound and originally drew a headlong fall.

Open 真 →

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

面 originally drew a man’s face, with one eye exaggerated; the horizontal stroke was added later.

Open 面 →

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

目 began as a drawing of a human eye, turned sideways.

Open 目 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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