面红耳赤

• Pinyin: miàn hóng ěr chì
• Hanzi breakdown: 面 = face (pictograph); 红 = 糸 (silk/thread radical) + 工 (work, phonetic) — red; 耳 = pictograph of an ear; 赤 = 大 (large person) + 火 (fire) — scarlet, crimson

Meaning

Flushed with red face and scarlet ears. An idiom describing someone whose face and ears have turned deeply red, typically from anger, embarrassment, or intense exertion.

This four-character chengyu vividly captures the physiological response to strong emotion — particularly heated argument, shame, or physical effort. Commonly used in narrative descriptions of confrontations, awkward moments, or intense physical activity. Can be used for any situation causing visible facial flushing, whether due to anger, embarrassment, excitement, or exertion.

Examples

1. 两个同事为了争抢一个晋升名额，在会议室里吵得面红耳赤，最终主管不得不出面调解。 Two coworkers fought over a promotion slot and argued in the conference room until their faces were beet-red, and in the end their manager had to step in to mediate.
2. 他在全班同学面前答错了一道简单的问题，顿时面红耳赤，恨不得找个地缝钻进去。 He answered an easy question wrong in front of the whole class and immediately turned bright red, wishing he could crawl into a hole and disappear.
3. 运动员在最后冲刺阶段用尽了全力，个个面红耳赤，大口喘气，但没有一个人选择放弃。 In the final sprint, the athletes gave everything they had; all of them were red-faced and gasping for air, but not one of them chose to quit.

Usage Guide

Context: conflict, embarrassment, arguments, sports, narrative

Tone: vivid

Do Say

• 谈判桌上，双方代表因核心条款分歧而争得面红耳赤，气氛一度剑拔弩张，直到调解人介入才逐渐平息。(At the negotiating table, the representatives of both sides argued so intensely over core clause disagreements that their faces turned red and ears scarlet — the atmosphere was tense to the point of breaking, and only gradually calmed after the mediator intervened.)
• 孩子被老师当众批评后，面红耳赤地低着头站在那里，周围同学的目光让他感到无地自容。(After being publicly criticised by the teacher, the child stood there with a flushed face and scarlet ears, head bowed, feeling deeply ashamed under the gaze of the surrounding classmates.)

Don't Say

• 将'面红耳赤'用于描述轻微的脸红或害羞 — 该成语形容的是极度激烈的情绪反应，用于轻微的害羞或微红时显得夸张，描述轻度的脸红应用'脸红''微微泛红'或'有些难为情' (Do not use 面红耳赤 for mild blushing or shyness — this chengyu describes an intense, extreme emotional reaction; applying it to slight blushes or mild embarrassment is an exaggeration; use 脸红, 微微泛红, or 有些难为情 for gentle or mild reddening)

Origin & History

面红 (face red) + 耳赤 (ears scarlet) — a descriptive compound picturing the vivid reddening of the face and ears as a sign of emotional intensity or physical exertion. A traditional Chinese way of describing visible emotional arousal through bodily symptoms.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal