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脸孔 (liǎn kǒng) — face (formal or literary)

Definition

Literary/formal word for 'face'. Contrast with the everyday 脸: 脸孔 emphasizes a person's facial expression or identity, and is common in writing or set phrases like 新面孔 ('new faces').

noun
face (formal or literary)
Measure word · 张

Examples

  • 脸孔。
    Tā nà zhāng liǎn kǒng kàn qǐ lái shí fēn yán sù.
    Her face looked very serious.
  • 脸孔。
    Huì yì shì lǐ chū xiàn le jǐ zhāng xīn liǎn kǒng.
    A few new faces appeared in the meeting room.
  • 脸孔。
    Tā pí bèi de liǎn kǒng shàng lù chū le wēi xiào.
    A smile appeared on his tired face.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

脸liǎnface
孔kǒngorifice

脸 'face' and 孔 'orifice' combine to mean 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 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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 丿丿piěopening
  • 子子zǐchild

孔 pairs 丿 (an opening) with 子 (a child), showing an opening in a newborn's skull.

Open 孔 →
Appears in
Body Parts

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