Chinese word

撕破脸皮

Pronunciation

Pinyinsī pò liǎn pí

Meaning

  • verbfall out

Example

他不怕撕破脸皮，把真相说出来。tā bú pà sī pò liǎn pí bǎ zhēn xiàng shuō chū lái

He is not afraid to fall out with people and tell the truth.

Illustration for 撕破脸皮 (fall out)

More examples

他愿意撕破脸皮为朋友出头。tā yuàn yì sī pò liǎn pí wèi péng yǒu chū tóu

He is willing to lose face to stand up for his friend.

Core concept

A deliberate break with social restraint that exposes shame or truth in public to force an outcome.

Common phrases

  • 愿意撕破脸皮yuàn yì sī pò liǎn pí

    be willing to lose face

Similar words

丢脸diū liǎn: Become embarrassed in front of others through a shameful act or failure.
出丑chū chǒu: Bring shame on oneself in public through a mistake that makes others laugh.
丢人diū rén: Be publicly humiliated in a way that makes others look down on one.

Definition in Chinese

表示为了达到某种目的而不顾体面，主动把自己的丑事或真相当众说出或做出。biǎo shì wèi le dá dào móu zhǒng mù dì ér bú gù tǐ miàn zhǔ dòng bǎ zì jǐ de chǒu shì huò zhēn xiàng dāng zhòng shuō chū huò zuò chū

Word origin

The expression 撕破脸皮 (sīpòliǎnpí, "tear through face skin") uses a literal image of tearing through the face's protective layer to represent stripping away social dignity in public.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, it often signals willingness to reveal embarrassing facts publicly, so it can sound confrontational rather than simply honest.

Opposites

Word lists with this word