丢面子 (diū miàn zi) — to lose face, to be publicly embarrassed, to suffer loss of dignity or social standing

Definition

A verb-object phrase meaning 'to lose face' — used when a public failure or mistake damages your social standing. Stronger than 没面子, which just means 'to lack prestige'; 丢面子 emphasizes an active, embarrassing loss.

verb
to lose face, to be publicly embarrassed, to suffer loss of dignity or social standing

Examples

  • ，丢面子。
    Zài zhè me duō rén miàn qián chū chǒu, tā jué de hěn diū miàn zi.
    He felt he lost face by making a fool of himself in front of so many people.
  • ，。
    Shàng cì kāi huì tā diū le miàn zi, zhè cì tè bié xiǎo xīn.
    He lost face at the last meeting, so this time he's especially careful.
  • 丢面子，。
    Wèi le bù diū miàn zi, tā xuǎn zé le chén mò.
    To avoid losing face, he chose to remain silent.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

丢diūlose
面子face
面miànface子zǐsuffix
后缀Suffix

“丢” (lose) with “面子” (face) gives public embarrassment.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 丟; 丢 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 丟 is made of 一 (one) and 去 (to go; to remove); the simplified 丢 is a later shorthand, so its shapes are not the original parts.

Open 丢 →

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.

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →

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