翻脸

翻臉

fānliǎn

verb #18,992

Meanings

他们因为钱的事翻脸了。

Tāmen yīnwèi qián de shì fānliǎn le.

They fell out over money.

她说翻脸就翻脸，一点面子都不给。

Tā shuō fānliǎn jiù fānliǎn, yīdiǎn miànzi dōu bù gěi.

She turns hostile at the drop of a hat, giving no face at all.

memory

翻 (to flip) + 脸 (face) -- someone literally flips their face, going from friendly to hostile. The friendly face flips over to show an angry one.

usage

翻脸不认人 is a common extension meaning to turn hostile and refuse to acknowledge someone -- burning bridges completely.

翻 fān

脸 liǎn