粉墨登场 (fěn mò dēng chǎng) — (idiom) to put on makeup and go on stage (in opera); (derogatory) to appear on the political or public stage after packaging oneself (implying hypocrisy or illegitimacy)

Definition

Idiom meaning 'to put on makeup and go on stage,' originally for opera actors. Now mostly used pejoratively to describe someone (often a politician) making a flashy, packaged public appearance — implying the act is staged or insincere.

idiom
to put on makeup and go on stage (in opera)(derogatory) to appear on the political or public stage after packaging oneself (implying hypocrisy or illegitimacy)

Examples

  • 粉墨登场，。
    Jīng jù yǎn yuán men fěn mò dēng chǎng, zhǔn bèi kāi shǐ biǎo yǎn.
    The Peking opera actors put on their makeup and went on stage, ready to begin the performance.
  • 粉墨登场，。
    Zhè ge zhèng kè fěn mò dēng chǎng, shì tú yòng huá lì de yǎn jiǎng yǎn gài zì jǐ de chǒu wén.
    This politician made a grand public appearance, trying to cover up his scandals with a glossy speech.
  • 粉墨登场，。
    Yì xiē gōng sī tōng guò xū jiǎ xuān chuán fěn mò dēng chǎng, shí jì shang chǎn pǐn zhì liàng hěn chà.
    Some companies appear on the market with false advertising, while their product quality is actually very poor.

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.

粉墨face paint
粉fěnpowder墨mòink
联合Side by side
登场go on stage
登dēngascend场chǎngstage
动宾Verb + object

粉墨 (face paint) 登场 (goes on stage): the made-up performer appears, later said of someone entering public life.

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
米米mǐrice
Sound part声符shēngfú
分
分fēn粉fěn
Same sound today

粉 pairs 米 (rice) with 分 for its sound. The rice part points to face powder made from rice.

Open 粉 →

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
土土tǔsoil
Sound part声符shēngfú
黑
黑hēi墨mò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

墨 is built from 土 (soil) and 黑, with 黑 giving the sound.

Open 墨 →

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

  • 癶癶bōleft and right feet
  • 豆豆dòupictogrammic of raised object; stepping stone

登 pairs 癶, left and right feet, with 豆, a raised object or stepping stone; its older form also showed two hands at the bottom, which later dropped.

Open 登 →

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 場; 场 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
昜
昜yáng場chǎng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 場 pairs 土 (earth) with 昜 as a sound part; the simplified 场 is a later abbreviation, so its parts do not have that historical role.

Open 场 →

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