不露声色 (bù lù shēng sè) — not betraying one's feelings or intentions; to…

Definition

A four-character idiom meaning to keep a straight, unreadable face — to show no emotion or hint of one's true thoughts, even under pressure.

verb

not betraying one's feelings or intentionsto maintain a composedinscrutable demeanor

不露声色，。
Tā tīng dào huài xiāo xi hòu yī rán bù lù shēng sè, ràng rén cāi bú tòu.
He still showed no emotion after hearing the bad news, leaving everyone guessing.
不露声色。
Tán pàn shí tā bù lù shēng sè dì tí chū le zì jǐ de tiáo jiàn.
During the negotiation, she put forward her terms without revealing any feelings.
，不露声色，。
Duì shǒu suī rán zháo jí, tā què bù lù shēng sè, wēi xiào yìng duì.
Although his opponent was anxious, he showed no sign of it and responded with a smile.

Characters in this word

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

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

雨路露

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

路

Same sound today

露 pairs 雨, a rain-related meaning part, with 路, a sound part.

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 聲; 声 is its simplified writing.

殸耳聲

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

殸

殸qìng聲shēng

Same sound today

The traditional form 聲 pairs 耳 (ear) with 殸 as a sound part; the simplified 声 is a shorthand and does not show those original parts.

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

色 pairs 爪 (a hand) with 卩 (a kneeling person), showing a hand pressing down on the kneeling person.