面无人色 — “To turn ashen pale”
面无人色 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to turn ashen pale”. To look utterly pale, especially from fear, shock, extreme weakness, or illness. Literally, “Face devoid of color; face without human color”.
Frequency
面无人色 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- 面miàn
- 无wú
- 人rén
- 色sè
面无人色 Character Breakdown
Example Sentence with 面无人色
听到那个不幸的消息时，她吓得面无人色，差点晕过去。
When she heard the unfortunate news, she turned ashen pale with fear and almost fainted.
Origin and Story of 面无人色
During the Western Han Dynasty, the brave and skilled general Li Guang led his troops to resist the invasion of the northern Xiongnu.
He commanded 4,000 cavalrymen who were surrounded by the Xiongnu Left-Wing King with an army of 40,000. The soldiers were extremely terrified, each turning utterly pale with fear.
However, Li Guang remained calm and composed, giving clear commands. Ultimately, they broke through the encirclement and achieved victory.
Idioms Related to 面无人色
Synonyms of 面无人色
Antonyms of 面无人色
More idioms starting with 面
- miàn面bù不gǎi改róng容remain calm and composed
- miàn面bù不gǎi改sè色remain calm and composed
- miàn面zhēng争tíng庭lùn论frankly argue publicly
- miàn面cóng从hòu后yán言Outwardly agree, secretly criticize
- miàn面cóng从bèi背yán言agree to one's face, criticize behind back
- miàn面cóng从fù腹fěi诽outwardly comply, inwardly criticize
- miàn面cóng从fù腹fēi非outwardly comply but inwardly dissent
- miàn面sì似xuē靴pí皮face full of deep wrinkles
- miàn面lěng冷yán言héng横stern-faced and aggressive in talk
- miàn面běi北méi眉nán南estranged and refusing to acknowledge each other
- miàn面mìng命ěr耳tí提give earnest, painstaking instruction
- miàn面mìng命ěr耳xùn训give earnest face-to-face instruction
Questions about 面无人色
- What does 面无人色 mean?
- 面无人色 (miàn wú rén sè) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to turn ashen pale”.
- How do you pronounce 面无人色?
- 面无人色 is pronounced miàn wú rén sè in Mandarin Chinese.
- What does 面无人色 literally mean?
- Literally, 面无人色 means “Face devoid of color; face without human color”. It is used to mean “to turn ashen pale”.
- Where does 面无人色 come from?
- 面无人色 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
- What is the Chinese definition of 面无人色?
- 脸色没有一点血色。形容恐惧到极点或非常虚弱。