







蓬头垢面 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have disheveled hair and a dirty face”. To be unkempt, slovenly, and neglected in appearance, often implying poor living conditions or a lack of personal hygiene. Literally, “tangled hair and dirty face”.
During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Feng Gui, a man of Hui ethnicity, was known for his upright character and love for learning, particularly his deep understanding of Confucian classics. He was meticulous about his personal appearance.
One day, a slovenly scholar remarked that truly learned people never paid attention to their grooming. Feng Gui retorted, "Those with good character should all the more strive for neatness. It is not the case that only those with disheveled hair and dirty faces can be considered sages." The scholar left feeling disgruntled.

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Open the tool →蓬头垢面 (péng tóu gòu miàn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to have disheveled hair and a dirty face”.
蓬头垢面 is pronounced péng tóu gòu miàn in Mandarin Chinese.
Literally, 蓬头垢面 means “tangled hair and dirty face”. It is used to mean “to have disheveled hair and a dirty face”.
蓬头垢面 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
头发蓬乱,脸上很脏。旧时形容贫苦人生活生活条件很坏的样子。也泛指没有修饰。