唱白脸

唱白臉
chàng báiliǎn
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 to play the bad cop
  2. 2 to play the stern one

Examples

HSK 3
Zài jiālǐ, zǒngshì bàba chàng báiliǎn.
At home, it's always Dad who plays the bad cop.
HSK 5
Lǎobǎn ràng tā zài huì shàng chàng báiliǎn, bǎ dàjiā pīpíng le yí dùn.
The boss had him play the bad cop at the meeting and give everyone a dressing-down.

Tips

culture
In 京剧 a white painted face marks a scheming villain, above all 曹操, while red marks the loyal hero. So 唱白脸 is to play the stern one who scolds, and its partner 唱红脸 plays the kind one.

Stroke Order

唱 chàng
白 bái
脸 liǎn