ngaan4 min6顏面颜面
Jyutpingngaan4 min6
Yalengàahn mihn
Definition
Prestige, reputation, or face; one's dignity or standing.
neutralemotionpeople
How it's used
Refers specifically to one's dignity or social standing rather than the physical face. It carries a slightly more formal or literary weight compared to the common term 面. It is frequently used in negative contexts involving the loss of pride or the inability to face others due to shame.
Examples
He really lost all his face by doing that.
How do you still have the face to see people?
Related words
Common phrases
to lose all face
to feel ashamed or disgraced
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with the physical face, which is referred to as 面 or 面口. Using 顏面 to describe a physical injury or appearance will sound unnatural and overly dramatic.
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.
