面目可憎 (miàn mù kě zēng) — (idiom) repulsive in appearance, so ugly or unpleasant that one feels aversion

Definition

Literally 'face and features hateful,' this idiom means repellently ugly or unpleasant to look at. Used for someone's appearance or demeanor that makes others want to stay away.

idiom
repulsive in appearance, so ugly or unpleasant that one feels aversion

Examples

  • 面目可憎，。
    Zhè ge rén cháng dé miàn mù kě zēng, ràng rén bù xiǎng jiē jìn.
    This person looks repulsive, making people not want to get close.
  • 面目可憎，。
    Bié kàn tā miàn mù kě zēng, qí shí xīn dì hěn shàn liáng.
    Even though he looks repulsive, he actually has a kind heart.
  • 面目可憎。
    Xiǎo shuō lǐ bǎ fǎn pài miáo xiě dé miàn mù kě zēng.
    The novel portrays the villain as repulsive in appearance.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
主谓zhǔwèiSubject + predicate

A small sentence frozen into a word: something, and what it does or is.

面目
面miànface目mùeye
联合Side by side
可憎
可kěworthy憎zēnghate
偏正Modifier + head

面目 (face and eyes) and 可憎 (worthy of hate) together mean an appearance that feels repulsive.

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 →

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
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
丂
丂kǎo可kě
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

可 pairs 口 (mouth) with 丂 as a sound part; it is tied to air from the mouth, perhaps singing.

Open 可 →

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
忄Written in full as心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
曾
曾céng憎zēng
Same sound today

The left part 忄, the heart, marks a feeling; the right part 曾 gives the sound.

Open 憎 →

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