lose face
Meaning: If you lose face, your status falls and
you aren't respected as much as you were.
For example:
A good manager can let someone know they've made a
mistake without causing them to lose face.
Ali's spoken English isn't improving because he thinks
he'll lose face if he makes a mistake, so he never says anything. And of course
the only way to get better at speaking is to practise.
Origin: This
idiom originated in the Chinese term "tiu lien" which translates
literally as "lose face". The term expresses the concept of losing
the respect of others, especially in public, which is very important in many
Asian cultures. The term has been used in English since the late 1800s after
being introduced to English by the British consular official Sir Robert Hart in
his book "These from Land of Sinim - Essays on the Chinese Question",
first published in 1876.
Quick
Quiz:
Brian made Gary lose
face in front of his friends when he said Gary
|
a really good friend
not very smart
going into hospital
SOURCE:ENGLISHCLUB.COM
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment