出洋相

chūyángxiàng
phrase HSK 7-9 #24,782

Meanings

  1. 1 to make a fool of oneself
  2. 2 to make a spectacle of oneself
  3. 3 to embarrass oneself

Examples

Tā zài táishàng chū le gè dàyáng xiàng.
He made a complete fool of himself on stage.
Bié jǐnzhāng, xiǎoxīn chūyángxiàng.
Don't be nervous, or you might embarrass yourself.
Nà cì chūyángxiàng de jīnglì ràng tā jì le hěn jiǔ.
That embarrassing experience stayed with her for a long time.

Tips

history
洋相 originally meant 'foreign appearance.' In the late Qing dynasty, people who clumsily imitated Western customs were mocked as 出洋相, and the phrase evolved to mean any embarrassing blunder.
grammar
Often used with separated from 洋相 by a modifier: 洋相, 大洋.

Stroke Order

chū
yáng
xiāng