面上

miànshang
phrase #21,473

Meanings

  1. 1 on the surface
  2. 2 outwardly
  3. 3 for the sake of appearances
  4. 4 on someone's account

Examples

Miànshang kàn qǐlái méi shénme wèntí, dàn nèibù máodùn hěn shēn.
On the surface it looks fine, but there are deep internal conflicts.
Kàn zài wǒ de miàn shàng, jiù yuánliàng tā zhè yī cì ba.
For my sake, please forgive him just this once.

Tips

usage
面上 has two distinct uses: (1) on the surface / outwardly (indicating something is superficially true but not substantively); (2) 面上 means 'for the sake of someone / out of regard for someone.' Context determines which meaning applies.

Stroke Order

miàn
shàng