阴阳脸

陰陽臉

yīnyángliǎn

phrase

Meanings

1 a two-faced person
2 someone who shows opposite attitudes to different people
3 a double dealer

Characters

Examples

HSK 7-9

他就是一张阴阳脸，当面说好，背后下手。

Tā jiùshì yī zhāng yīnyángliǎn, dāngmiàn shuō hǎo, bèihòu xiàshǒu.

He's pure two-faced - praises you to your face and stabs you in the back.

HSK 7-9

跟这种阴阳脸打交道，得多留个心眼。

Gēn zhè zhǒng yīnyángliǎn dǎ jiāodào, děi duō liú ge xīnyǎn.

Dealing with a double-dealer like that, you've got to keep your guard up.

Tips

culture

Imagines a face split into yin and yang halves, one smiling, one scheming. Opera stage paint actually shows this in the 阴阳脸 makeup used for treacherous characters.

Stroke Order

阴 yīn

阳 yáng

脸 liǎn