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粉墨登场

粉墨登場
fěnmòdēngchǎng
idiom #45,920

Meanings

  1. 1 to make up and step onto the stage
  2. 2 (pejorative) to take the political stage
  3. 3 to appear in a new (often contrived) role

Examples

这些政客粉墨登场,各种表演层出不穷。
Zhèxiē zhèngkè fěn mò dēng chǎng, gè zhǒng biǎoyǎn céngchūbùqióng.
These politicians take the stage with no end of performances.
演员们化好妆,准备粉墨登场。
Yǎnyuánmen huà hǎo zhuāng, zhǔnbèi fěn mò dēng chǎng.
The actors have finished their makeup and are ready to take the stage.
他终于粉墨登场,开始了新的职业。
Tā zhōngyú fěn mò dēng chǎng, kāishǐ le xīn de zhíyè.
He finally took the stage and began his new career.

Tips

history
From Zang Maoxun's 《元曲选后序》 (late Ming): '而关汉卿辈至躬践排场,而傅粉墨' — Guan Hanqing and other playwrights even smeared on powder and ink to act in their own plays. Originally neutral theater vocabulary; the pejorative political sense developed in the 20th century.
usage
Modern usage is usually sarcastic — 'putting on makeup to take the stage' implies pretense, especially on the political or bureaucratic stage. The literal theatrical sense survives but is less common.

Stroke Order

粉 fěn
墨 mò
登 dēng
场 chǎng