mou5 min6冇面
Jyutpingmou5 min6
Yalemóuh mihn
Definition
To lose face; to be humiliated, embarrassed, or unable to maintain one's dignity.
colloquialemotionpeople
How it's used
Refers specifically to the social embarrassment caused by being publicly humiliated or having one's reputation damaged. It functions as an adjective describing a state of being, rather than a verb describing the action of losing face. It is frequently used in interpersonal conflicts where someone feels their status or authority has been undermined.
Examples
You scolded me in front of everyone, I really lost face.
Related words
Common phrases
to feel very disgraced
to cause someone to lose face
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the verb phrase 丟臉, which is more common in Mandarin. In Cantonese, 冇面 is the standard way to express this feeling, and using 丟臉 may sound unnatural or overly formal to native speakers.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
