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唱红脸 (chàng hóng liǎn) — to play the good cop; to pretend to be generous and kind

Definition

A set phrase from Chinese opera: to play the good cop — pretending to be kind or generous, often as a tactic against an opponent playing the 白脸 (bad cop). Often used in negotiations or conflicts to mean taking the soft, agreeable role.

verb
to play the good copto pretend to be generous and kind

Examples

  • 唱红脸，。
    Tā zǒng shì chàng hóng liǎn, ràng rén jué de hěn qīn qiè.
    He always plays the good cop, making people feel very warm.
  • ，，。
    Zhè cì tán pàn, jīng lǐ chàng le yí gè hóng liǎn, wǒ chàng le bái liǎn.
    In this negotiation, the manager played the good cop, and I played the bad cop.
  • 唱红脸，。
    Bié bèi tā chàng hóng liǎn piàn le, tā qí shí méi nà me hǎo xīn.
    Don't be fooled by her acting kind; she's not that nice.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

唱chàngplay a role
红脸red-faced opera character
红hóngred脸liǎnface
偏正Modifier + head

“唱” means to play a role, and “红脸” is the red-faced opera character, hence playing the good guy.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
昌
昌chāng唱chàng
Same sound today

The 口 part points to the mouth, while 昌 shows how the character is pronounced.

Open 唱 →

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 紅; 红 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìsilk
Sound part声符shēngfú
工
工gōng紅hóng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 紅 puts 糸 (silk) next to 工, which gives the sound; the simplified 红 is a later shorthand.

Open 红 →

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
Idioms & Set Phrases

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