抛头露面

拋頭露面

pāotóulùmiàn

idiom #26,993

Meanings

1 to appear in public
2 to show oneself publicly
3 to make a public appearance (originally considered unseemly for women)

Characters

to throw; to toss; to cast aside

to expose; to reveal; dew

Examples

她不想在媒体面前抛头露面。

Tā bù xiǎng zài méitǐ miànqián pāotóulùmiàn.

She doesn't want to appear publicly in front of the media.

在旧社会，女人抛头露面是不体面的事。

Zài jiù shèhuì, nǚrén pāotóulùmiàn shì bù tǐmiàn de shì.

In the old society, women appearing in public was considered improper.

Tips

history

Originally this phrase carried a strong negative connotation — it described women who dared to appear in public, which was considered shameful in traditional Chinese society. In modern usage, it is neutral or even positive, simply meaning 'to appear publicly'.

Stroke Order

抛 pāo

头 tóu

露 lù

面 miàn