往脸上抹黑

往臉上抹黑
wǎngliǎnshàngmǒhēi
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 to bring shame on someone
  2. 2 to smear someone
  3. 3 to disgrace; to make someone lose face

Examples

Nǐ zhèyàng zuò jiùshì zài wǎng fùmǔ liǎn shàng mǒhēi.
Doing that is bringing shame on your parents.
Tā jiǔ hòu nàoshì, wǎng gōngsī liǎn shàng mǒhēi.
He caused a scene while drunk and disgraced the company.

Tips

memory
Literally 'to smear black onto [someone's] face'. In Chinese, 'face' ( liǎn) is reputation; smearing it black is the visual metaphor for shaming someone publicly. The image carries directly into the meaning.
grammar
Pattern is + [target's] 脸上抹黑. The frame works generally for 'apply X onto Y': 墙上油漆 ('smear paint on the wall'), 身上喷香 ('spray perfume on oneself').

Stroke Order

wǎng
liǎn
shàng
hēi