体面

體面

tǐmiàn

adjective HSK 7-9 #7,072

Meanings

1 dignified; respectable
2 decent; presentable

Characters

Literally 'body and face' — one's outward appearance and dignity.

Examples

他穿得很体面。

Tā chuān de hěn tǐmiàn.

He's dressed very respectably.

她想找一份体面的工作。

Tā xiǎng zhǎo yì fèn tǐmiàn de gōngzuò.

She wants to find a decent job.

就算分手也要体面一点。

Jiùsuàn fēnshǒu yě yào tǐmiàn yìdiǎn.

Even if we break up, let's do it with dignity.

Tips

culture

体面 is deeply connected to 面子 (miànzi, 'face') culture. A 体面 job, wedding, or lifestyle is one that earns social respect. The 2018 hit song 《体面》by Yu Kewei became iconic — it's about maintaining dignity after a breakup.

In Pop Culture

体面 Tǐmiàn

Dignified

hit song by Yu Kewei (于文文) from the film Ex-File 3 (2017)

Stroke Order

体 tǐ

面 miàn