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赏脸 (shǎng liǎn) — (fixed expression) do me the honor / do me a favor (polite request implying 'grant me face')

Definition

A polite, often humble way to ask someone to 'do you the honor' — accepting an invitation, gift, or request. Implies the other person is doing you a favor by saying yes.

idiom
(fixed expression) do me the honor / do me a favor (polite request implying 'grant me face')

Examples

  • 赏脸，。
    Xī wàng nín néng shǎng liǎn, lái cān jiā wǒ de hūn lǐ.
    I hope you'll do me the honor of coming to my wedding.
  • ，。
    Nǐ shǎng wǒ gè liǎn, zhè jiàn shì jiù bāng wǒ bàn le ba.
    Do me a favor — just help me handle this matter.
  • ，赏脸。
    Zhè diǎn xiǎo lǐ wù, qǐng nín shǎng liǎn shōu xià.
    This small gift — please do me the honor of accepting it.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

赏shǎnggrant
脸liǎnface

赏 means to grant or bestow, and 脸 means face; together they ask someone to grant face by attending or accepting.

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 賞; 赏 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèicowry
Sound part声符shēngfú
商
商shāng賞shǎng
Same sound today

The traditional form 賞 pairs 商 for sound with 貝, a cowry shell; the simplified 赏 is a shorthand.

Open 赏 →

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 →
Appears in
Greetings & PolitenessIdioms & Set Phrases

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