汗颜 (hàn yán) — (literary) ashamed, deeply embarrassed

Definition

Literary/书面语 word for feeling deeply ashamed or embarrassed — from sweating on the face. Much stronger than 不好意思; use it for self-deprecation, often in writing or speeches.

adjective
(literary) ashameddeeply embarrassed

Examples

  • ，汗颜。
    Miàn duì rú cǐ chéng jiù, wǒ shēn gǎn hàn yán.
    Faced with such achievements, I feel deeply ashamed.
  • ，汗颜。
    Huí xiǎng qǐ dāng nián de wú zhī, wǒ bù jīn hàn yán.
    Recalling my ignorance back then, I can't help feeling ashamed.
  • ，汗颜。
    Tā de pī píng ràng wǒ wú dì zì róng, shí zài hàn yán.
    His criticism made me feel mortified; I was truly ashamed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

汗hànto sweat
颜yánface

汗 means to sweat and 颜 means face, together describing the face sweating from shame.

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
水水shuǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
干
干gān汗hàn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

汗 has 水, the water form, beside 干; 水 relates to liquid sweat, while 干 gives the sound.

Open 汗 →

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 顏; 颜 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
彥
彥yàn顏⁰yán
Same sound today

The traditional form 顏, not the simplified 颜, pairs 彥 as a sound part with 頁, a head, for face or countenance.

Open 颜 →

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