要面子 (yào miàn zi) — to be concerned about appearances / reputation, often to an excessive degree

Definition

A colloquial verb meaning to care (excessively) about face and appearances — what others think of you. The single noun 面子 alone is just 'face/reputation' as a concept; 要面子 focuses on the active behavior of protecting it, often unnecessarily.

verb
to be concerned about appearances / reputation, often to an excessive degree

Examples

  • 要面子，。
    Tā tài yào miàn zi le, míng míng cuò le yě bú dào qiàn.
    He cares too much about face; even though he's clearly wrong, he won't apologize.
  • ，。
    Wèi le yí cì hé zuò, tā bú yào miàn zi qù qiú duì fāng.
    For the sake of a partnership, he set aside his pride and went to beg the other party.
  • 要面子，。
    Nǐ bié zǒng shì yào miàn zi, ǒu ěr diū diǎn miàn zi yě méi shén me.
    Don't always worry about appearances; it's okay to lose a bit of face once in a while.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

要yàowant
面子face
面miànface子zǐ

要 means want or care about, while 面子 refers to face and reputation, expressing caring about appearances.

Characters in this word

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

要 began as a drawing of a person with both hands pointing to the waist.

Open 要 →

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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