zan1 min6 muk6真面目
Jyutpingzan1 min6 muk6
Yalejān mihn muhk
Definition
True appearance; one's true colors, real identity, or actual character.
colloquialpeopledescriptions
How it's used
Revealing someone's true nature often involves the verb 露出, which literally means to expose or reveal. It is almost exclusively used in negative contexts to describe someone who has been hiding their selfish or malicious intentions behind a facade. You will frequently hear it when discussing betrayals or the moment a person stops pretending to be someone they are not.
Examples
He usually pretends to be a good person, who knew his true colors were so terrifying.
Related words
Common phrases
to reveal one's true colors
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 樣貌, which simply refers to a person's physical appearance. 真面目 is strictly figurative and refers to character or hidden motives, not the literal face.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- In 30 secondsThe whole language at a glance. No tenses, no plurals, six tones, sentence particles. Read this before you dive into any specific topic.
- ParticlesSentence particles add tone, emotion, and nuance. Learn the most common particles in Cantonese and how to use them.
- Possession (嘅)How to say my, your, and his, and how to link a describing word to a noun, all with the little word 嘅 (ge3).
