脸色

• Pinyin: liǎn sè
• Hanzi breakdown: 脸 = 月 (flesh) + 佥 (all); 色 = 巴 + 刀, originally depicting a person's appearance

Meaning

Complexion; facial expression. The color or appearance of one's face, often indicating health or mood.

Can refer to the literal color of someone's face as an indicator of health, or metaphorically to their facial expression indicating mood or attitude. Common phrases include 看脸色 (to gauge someone's mood) and 脸色不好 (to look unwell or unhappy).

Examples

1. 你今天脸色不太好，是不是生病了？ You don't look well today. Are you sick?
2. 一听到这个消息，她的脸色立刻变了。 As soon as she heard the news, her expression changed immediately.
3. 他在公司总是要看领导的脸色行事。 At the company, he always has to gauge the boss's mood before acting.

Usage Guide

Context: health, emotions, workplace

Tone: observational

Do Say

• 她脸色苍白，像是受到了很大的打击。(Her face is pale, as if she's suffered a great blow.)
• 老板今天脸色不好，大家都小心翼翼的。(The boss looks unhappy today; everyone is being careful.)

Don't Say

• 你的脸色很高。(脸色 doesn't collocate with 高 — describe it with colors or states like 好/不好/苍白/红润)

Origin & History

脸 (liǎn, face) + 色 (sè, color). The color of one's face.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal