面面相觑 — “To look at each other in blank dismay”
面面相觑 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to look at each other in blank dismay”. Consternation, or bewilderment, not knowing what to do or say. It describes a situation where people are surprised, confused, or helpless and thus exchange glances without speaking. Literally, “Face to face, mutually staring”.
面面相觑 Pronunciation and Pinyin
面面相觑 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 面面相觑
Origin and Story of 面面相觑
During the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao led his troops to attack Xuzhou. Lu Bu took the opportunity to seize Cao Cao's Yanzhou and Puyang. Cao Cao then rushed back to defend his home, engaging in a major battle with Lu Bu outside Puyang city.
Following Yu Jin's advice, Cao Cao's army attacked and occupied Lu Bu's western camp. When Lu Bu arrived with reinforcements, Cao Cao's soldiers were exhausted and disheartened, looking at each other in bewilderment and not knowing what to do.
Fortunately, Dian Wei fought bravely, and Xiahou's arrival with reinforcements lifted the siege.
Idioms Related to 面面相觑
Synonyms of 面面相觑
Antonyms of 面面相觑
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
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Open the tool →Questions about 面面相觑
What does 面面相觑 mean?
面面相觑 (miàn miàn xiāng qù) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to look at each other in blank dismay”.
How do you pronounce 面面相觑?
面面相觑 is pronounced miàn miàn xiāng qù in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 面面相觑 literally mean?
Literally, 面面相觑 means “Face to face, mutually staring”. It is used to mean “to look at each other in blank dismay”.
Where does 面面相觑 come from?
面面相觑 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 面面相觑?
觑：看。你看我，我看你，不知道如何是好。形容人们因惊惧或无可奈何而互相望着，都不说话。