Definition
黑脸 literally means 'black face', but its key cultural meaning comes from Chinese opera, where a black-painted face (like the character Bao Zheng) symbolizes an upright, impartial, and stern personality. In everyday usage, 黑脸 refers either to that opera role or, more commonly, to a serious, disapproving expression — often in the phrase 唱黑脸 ('play the stern one' in a negotiation or disciplinary situation). It is a noun, so you can say 一张黑脸 (a stern face) or 他唱了黑脸 (he played the bad cop).
noun
a black-faced role in Chinese opera representing an impartialupright officiala stern or disapproving expressionsomeone who plays the strict or adversarial role in a situation
Examples
- 黑脸，。Tā zài xì lǐ yǎn hēi liǎn, dàibiǎo gōngzhèng wúsī.He plays the black-face role in the opera, representing impartiality and selflessness.
- 黑脸，。Tánpàn shí zǒng xūyào yǒurén chàng hēi liǎn, dāng nàge yánlì de juésè.In negotiations someone always needs to play the stern one, taking the strict role.
- 黑脸，。Lǎobǎn jīntiān hēi liǎn yì chén, dàjiā dōu bù gǎn shuōhuà.When the boss's face darkened today, no one dared to speak.
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