脸 臉 liǎn

+ A LITTLE MORE +

As the face is the most prominent and revealing part of a person, many daily conversations tend to revolve around it.

• 笑脸 (xiào liǎn) Smiley face

• 赔笑脸 (péi xiào liǎn) Apologize with a smiley face (often reluctant or out of obligation) Literal. Compensate with a smiley face

• 脸色 (liǎn sè) Facial complexion Literal. Face color
• 给脸色看 (géi liǎn sè kàn) To give disapproving looks or mood swings Literal. Give face colour (for one) to see – similar to "pull a face"

• 脸红 (liǎn hóng) Blush Literal. Face (turns) red – not be confused with 红脸 (hóng liǎn)

• 露脸 (lòu liǎn) Make an appearance Literal. Show face

• 翻脸 (fān liǎn) Fall out (with someone) Literal. Flipped-over face

• 丢脸 (dīu liǎn) Embarrassment Literal. Throw face

• 厚脸皮 (hòu liǎn pí) Thick-skinned

• 扮鬼脸 (bàn guǐ liǎn) Pull a silly face

• 小白脸 (xiǎo bái liǎn) Toy boy Literal. Little white face – often used to label young good looking guys who are engaged in relationships with older women mainly for financial support

• 黄脸婆 (huáng liǎn pó) Haggard looking Literal. Yellow-faced grandma – describes middle-aged housewives who look lacklustre after marriage or childbirth as they have spent most of their time taking care of babies, with no time to groom

• 有头有脸 (yǒu tóu yǒu liǎn) An established person Literal. To have head, to have face – describes a person with a high social status

• 没脸见人(méi liǎn jiàn rén) Awfully embarrassed Literal. No face (to) meet people – often used when someone has done something awkward or disgraceful

• 变脸不认人 (biàn liǎn bú rèn rén) Change of attitude or Ungrateful Literal. Change face and not acknowledge someone – describes people who change their attitude towards the person whom they benefited from upon getting what they wanted.

• 一个唱红脸，一个唱白脸 (yī gè chàng hóng liǎn, yī gè chàng bái liǎn) Good cop; bad cop Literal. One sings Red Face; the other White Face – In Peking Opera, the Red Face characters are the righteous/good characters while White Face characters are the sly/bad ones hence this phrase is used to describe the role play between two people (parents, business partners etc).