#134 ‘Face’ is so important in Chinese! 脸面大过天

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脸，可能是很多人最看重的东西。看重，意思是觉得很重要。我们看见一个人的时候，首先会注意这个人的脸。在中国文化里，人们也觉得脸很重要。在中文里，脸还有“名声”的意思，也有很多关于“脸”的表达。今天，我们一起来聊一聊中文里的“脸”吧！

我们看一个人的时候，一定会看这个人的脸。如果这个人长得好看，我们常常会有很好的印象，会更喜欢这个人。中文里有一句话：“现在这个社会是一个看脸的社会。”现在很多人都很看脸，看重外貌，意思是觉得一个人长得好看不好看才是最重要的。有些人最看重外貌，他们会说：“我是一个看脸的人。”如果一个人正在找男朋友或者女朋友，他说：“我首先会看脸。”意思是他要找一个好看的男朋友或者女朋友。

脸在中文里也有“名声”的意思，也就是“脸面”，或者“面子”。如果一个人说：“人活着，脸面是很重要的！ ”也就是说，他觉得一个人的名声很重要，别人怎么看自己很重要。中文里有一个词叫“丢脸”。比如，我今天穿反了衣服，别人都看见了，太丢脸了！又比如，我在很多人面前摔了一觉，太丢脸了。“丢脸”，意思是在很多人面前做了很傻的事情，觉得很尴尬。

我们都知道，一些中国的父母特别严格。如果他们的孩子做了错事，他们会觉得很丢脸。我听过一些父母对孩子说：“你让我的脸往哪儿放！ ”或者“我的脸都被你丢光了！ ”我想，这是因为在中国的文化里，别人的看法是很重要的，所以如果孩子做了不好的事情，父母也会觉得很丢脸。

如果一个人一点儿都不在意别人的看法，也不在意自己是不是做了傻事，人们会说这个人“脸皮厚”，或者“不要脸”。但是，“脸皮厚”或者“不要脸”有时候也是很好的词，因为这两个词也有勇敢的意思。比如，人们会说：“想要学好外语，脸皮一定要厚，这样才能多和别人用外语聊天！ ”我也非常赞同。想要学好中文，一定不要怕丢脸，脸皮一定要厚，这样才能多说，中文才会更好！

你赞同我说的话吗？

Hello everyone! Welcome back to MaoMi Chinese!

The face is perhaps the most important thing for many people. "看重" means see something important. When we see a person, the first thing we notice is their face. In Chinese culture, people also attach great importance to the face. In Chinese, the word for face also means "reputation," and there are many expressions related to "face." Today, let's talk about "face" in the Chinese language together!

When we look at a person, we always pay attention to their face. If a person looks good, we often have a good impression of them and like them more. In Chinese, there's a saying: "In today's society, it's a society that judges people by their appearance." Nowadays, many people place a strong emphasis on looks, meaning whether a person is good-looking or not is considered the most important. Some people value appearance the most, and they might say, "I'm someone who judges by appearances." If someone is looking for a boyfriend or girlfriend, they might say, "I will look at the face first," meaning they want to find a good-looking boyfriend or girlfriend.

In Chinese, the word for face also has the meaning of "reputation," which is called "面子" (miànzi). If someone says, "In life, face/reputation is very important!" it means they believe a person's reputation is crucial, and how others perceive them is important. There's a phrase in Chinese, "丢脸" (diūliǎn), which means to lose face or feel embarrassed. For example, if I wore my clothes inside out today, and everyone saw it, it would be very embarrassing! Or if I tripped in front of many people, it would be so embarrassing. "丢脸" means doing something silly or embarrassing in front of many people and feeling awkward about it.

We all know that some Chinese parents can be very strict. If their children do something wrong, they may feel embarrassed. I've heard some parents say to their children, "Where should I put my face because of you?" or "You've made me lose all face!" I think this is because in Chinese culture, other people's opinions are very important. So, if a child does something wrong, parents may also feel embarrassed.

If a person doesn't care at all about what others think and isn't concerned about doing silly things, people may say this person has "脸皮厚" (liǎnpí hòu), which means thick-skinned, or "不要脸" (bùyàoliǎn), which means shameless. However, "脸皮厚" or "不要脸" can sometimes be positive words because they also imply bravery. For example, people might say, "To learn a foreign language well, you must have thick skin so you can chat with others in that language!" I totally agree. To learn Chinese well, you must not be afraid to lose face, and you must have thick skin so you can speak more. That's how your Chinese will get better!

Do you agree with what I'm saying?