表情

• Pinyin: biǎo qíng
• Hanzi breakdown: 表 = originally a pictograph of a fur garment, meaning surface/express; 情 = 忄(heart) + 青 (blue-green, phonetic), meaning emotion/feeling

Meaning

Facial expression; expression. The look on someone's face that conveys emotion.

Refers to facial expressions that reflect emotions — smiling, frowning, surprise, anger, etc. In modern Chinese, 表情 also refers to emojis and stickers used in messaging apps (表情包 = sticker pack). Very common in both face-to-face and digital communication contexts.

Examples

1. 他的表情看起来很紧张，好像出了什么事。 His expression looks very tense, as if something happened.
2. 她听到好消息后，脸上露出了开心的表情。 After hearing the good news, a happy expression appeared on her face.
3. 聊天的时候，大家喜欢发表情来表达心情。 When chatting, everyone likes to send emojis to express their mood.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, social media, interpersonal

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 从他的表情可以看出他很高兴。(You can tell from his expression that he's very happy.)
• 你发个表情给我看看。(Send me an emoji so I can see.)

Don't Say

• 说'她做了一个表情'来表示她做了鬼脸 (Don't say 做表情 for making a funny face — that's 做鬼脸; 表情 by itself is neutral and just means expression)

Origin & History

A compound of 表 (surface, express) and 情 (emotion, feeling). Together they mean the outward expression of inner feelings, primarily through the face.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal