给面子 (gěi miàn zi) — to give face; to show respect or deference to someone (often by praising them or avoiding public embarrassment)

Definition

A set phrase: publicly praise or accommodate someone to preserve their 面子 — avoid embarrassing them in front of others. Collocates with 一点 or 一次.

verb
to give faceto show respect or deference to someone (often by praising them or avoiding public embarrassment)

Examples

  • ，给面子。
    Tā dāng zhòng biǎo yáng wǒ, zhēn gěi miàn zi.
    He praised me in public — that really gave me face.
  • ，。
    Nǐ gěi tā diǎn miàn zi, bié dāng zhòng pī píng tā.
    Give him a little face — don't criticize him in public.
  • ，。
    Dà jiā gěi le tā yí cì miàn zi, ràng tā xiān fā yán.
    Everyone gave him face once by letting him speak first.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

给gěigive
面子face
面miànface子zǐsuffix
后缀Suffix

给 contributes the idea of giving, and 面子 denotes face or respect, so the sense is to give face.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 給; 给 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mì
Sound part声符shēngfú
合
合hé給gěi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 給 uses 糸 (silk) for meaning and 合 for sound, and its old sense was rich, abundant, perhaps referring to precious silk; 给 is a later simplified form.

Open 给 →

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.

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →

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