出洋相

chūyángxiàng
phrase HSK 7 #24,782

Meanings

  1. 1 to make a fool of oneself
  2. 2 to make a spectacle of oneself
  3. 3 to embarrass oneself

Examples

Tā zài tái shàng chū le gè dà yángxiàng.
He made a complete fool of himself on stage.
Bié jǐnzhāng, xiǎoxīn chū yángxiàng.
Don't be nervous, or you might embarrass yourself.
Nà cì chū yángxiàng de jīnglì ràng tā jì le hěn jiǔ.
That embarrassing experience stayed with her for a long time.

Tips

history
originally meant 'foreign appearance.' In the late Qing dynasty, people who clumsily imitated Western customs were mocked as 出洋相, and the phrase evolved to mean any embarrassing blunder.
grammar
Often used with separated from by a modifier: , 大洋.

Stroke Order

chū
yáng
xiāng