Chinese word

丢人

Pronunciation

Pinyindiū rén

Meaning

  • verbembarrass oneself

Example

他在聚会上丢人了。tā zài jù huì shàng diū rén le

He embarrassed himself at the party.

Illustration for 丢人 (embarrass oneself)

More examples

她在演讲时突然丢人，忘了台词。tā zài yán jiǎng shí tū rán diū rén wàng le tái cí

She suddenly embarrassed herself during her speech and forgot her lines.

Core concept

A person's careless words or actions become a visible mark against their social standing.

Common phrases

  • 在别人面前丢人zài bié rén miàn qián diū rén

    embarrass oneself in front of others

  • 丢人现眼diū rén xiàn yǎn

    make a fool of oneself

Similar words

丢脸diū liǎn: Suffer public embarrassment and lose face in front of others.
丢面子diū miàn zi: Damage one's public standing by causing shame in front of others.
出丑chū chǒu: Act shamefully in public and get laughed at by other people.
丢人现眼diū rén xiàn yǎn: Cause severe public embarrassment by drawing attention and ridicule.

Definition in Chinese

在别人面前因言行或失误让自己显得尴尬、被嘲笑或失去面子。zài bié rén miàn qián yīn yán xíng huò shī wù ràng zì jǐ xiǎn de gān gà bèi cháo xiào huò shī qù miàn zi

Word origin

丢人 (diūrén, "lose face") joins 丢 (diū, "lose or throw away") + 人 (rén, "people"), presenting a person's public regard as something that can be thrown away.

Usage tips

  • As a comment on another person's conduct, it can sound mocking or critical rather than sympathetic, so tone and relationship affect whether it is appropriate.

Other meanings

  • embarrassingadjective
  • lose faceverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 丢人现眼diū rén xiàn yǎnmake a fool of oneselfidiom

Word lists with this word