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面目全非 (miàn mù quán fēi) — (idiom) to change beyond recognition; to be completely altered

Definition

Emphasizes that the original look or state is GONE — change is destructive or unrecognizable. 焕然一新 is the opposite framing: a positive, fresh transformation. 翻天覆地 stresses the scale/force of change itself.

idiom
to change beyond recognitionto be completely altered

Examples

  • 面目全非，。
    Nà běn shū bèi shān gǎi dé miàn mù quán fēi, wán quán kàn bù chū yuán yàng le.
    That book was edited so heavily that it's completely unrecognizable from the original.
  • 面目全非。
    Yì chǎng hóng shuǐ ràng zhěng gè cūn zhuāng miàn mù quán fēi.
    A flood left the entire village unrecognizable.
  • ，面目全非，。
    Jīng guò duō nián fā zhǎn, zhè lǐ yǐ jīng miàn mù quán fēi, wǒ wán quán zhǎo bú dào yǐ qián de lù le.
    After years of development, this place has changed beyond recognition — I can't find the old roads at all.

Origin

Characters in this word

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 →

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

The shape puts 入 together with 玉 to show a whole piece of jade, so it means complete or whole.

Open 全 →

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

The shape of 非 is drawn from two wings facing opposite directions. It later came to be used for going against or not being.

Open 非 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Change & ProcessIdioms & Set Phrases

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