撕破脸

撕破臉

sīpòliǎn

verb

Meanings

1 to have a bitter falling-out
2 to drop all pretense of civility
3 to tear each other apart

Characters

broken / to break

Examples

HSK 3

他不愿意跟老板撕破脸。

Tā bú yuànyì gēn lǎobǎn sīpòliǎn.

He doesn't want to burn bridges with his boss.

HSK 4

他们俩最后撕破脸了。

Tāmen liǎ zuìhòu sīpòliǎn le.

The two of them ended up in an all-out fallout.

HSK 6

为了钱兄弟撕破脸不值得。

Wèile qián xiōngdì sīpòliǎn bùzhídé.

Brothers falling out over money isn't worth it.

Tips

culture

脸 ('face') in Chinese idiom = social dignity. 撕破脸 literally 'tear one's face open' means abandoning all mutual face-saving, which is a major rupture in Chinese social code. Before 撕破脸 both sides still pretend; after, the relationship is effectively over.

usage

Common in the fixed phrase 撕破脸皮. Often paired with 跟/和 + person: 跟他撕破脸. It means 'to have an acrimonious falling-out / to shed all pretense of cordiality'.

Stroke Order

撕 sī

破 pò

脸 liǎn