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笑面夜叉
笑面夜叉
笑面夜叉
笑面夜叉
笑面夜叉
笑面夜叉
笑面夜叉
笑面夜叉
笑面夜叉
笑面夜叉

笑面夜叉 — “An outwardly kind but inwardly cruel person”

笑面夜叉 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “an outwardly kind but inwardly cruel person”. A wolf in sheep's clothing; a wicked person with a hypocritical smile. Literally, “smiling-faced yaksha”.

Frequency

笑面夜叉 Pronunciation and Pinyin

笑面夜叉 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order
CharacterPinyinStrokesMeaning
笑
xiào10smile, laugh, ridicule
面
miàn9face, surface, side, flour, noodles
夜
yè8night
叉
chā3fork, cross, or block

Example Sentence with 笑面夜叉

他总是面带笑容,但在背后却常常使坏,真是个笑面夜叉
He always has a smile on his face, but often plots mischief behind people's backs; he's truly a smiling yaksha.

Origin and Story of 笑面夜叉

During the Song Dynasty, individuals like Cai Bian widely cultivated their followers and colluded in wrongdoing, forming factions that pervaded the court.

Chen Cisheng was greatly indignant about this and repeatedly submitted memorials to Emperor Zhezong to impeach them.

In his "Third Memorial Impeaching Cai Jing," he wrote: "Cai Jing is excessively critical of others' shortcomings and maliciously slanders high-ranking officials. Cai Bian is a 'smiling yaksha,' and their misdeeds are too appalling to hear."

Idioms Related to 笑面夜叉

Synonyms of 笑面夜叉

  • xiào笑miàn面hǔ虎a cruel person with a kind appearance

More idioms starting with 笑

  • xiào笑bù不kě可yǎng仰laugh so hard one cannot stand
  • xiào笑zhōng中yǒu有dāo刀friendly on the outside, evil on the inside
  • xiào笑ào傲fēng风yuè月Live a carefree life, enjoying nature
  • xiào笑chù处cáng藏dāo刀hide a dagger behind a smile
  • xiào笑róng容kě可jū掬beaming with smiles
  • xiào笑róng容mǎn满miàn面beaming with joy
  • xiào笑bǐ比hé河qīng清rarely smiles, stern and serious
  • xiào笑ér而bù不dá答smile without answering
  • xiào笑yǔ语zhǐ指huī麾directing with laughter and conversation
  • xiào笑mào貌shēng声yīn音facial expression and manner of speaking
  • xiào笑zhú逐yán颜kāi开To beam with smiles
  • xiào笑lǐ里cáng藏dāo刀a knife hidden in a smile

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Questions about 笑面夜叉

What does 笑面夜叉 mean?

笑面夜叉 (xiào miàn yè chā) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “an outwardly kind but inwardly cruel person”.

How do you pronounce 笑面夜叉?

笑面夜叉 is pronounced xiào miàn yè chā in Mandarin Chinese.

What does 笑面夜叉 literally mean?

Literally, 笑面夜叉 means “smiling-faced yaksha”. It is used to mean “an outwardly kind but inwardly cruel person”.

Where does 笑面夜叉 come from?

笑面夜叉 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.

What is the Chinese definition of 笑面夜叉?

比喻面带笑容而居心狠毒的人。

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