唱红脸

唱紅臉

chànghóngliǎn

phrase #30,298

Meanings

1 to play the good cop
2 to play the role of the kind/heroic figure (in a good-cop/bad-cop pairing)

Characters

to sing; to perform (an opera role)

Examples

教育孩子时，妈妈唱红脸，爸爸唱白脸。

Jiàoyù háizi shí, māma chàng hóngliǎn, bàba chàng báiliǎn.

When raising the kid, mom plays the good cop and dad plays the bad cop.

谈判中总要有人唱红脸。

Tánpàn zhōng zǒng yào yǒu rén chàng hóngliǎn.

In negotiations, somebody always has to play the good cop.

Tips

culture

From Beijing opera 京剧, where painted face colors signal character archetypes: 红脸 (red face) = loyal, brave, heroic (e.g. 关羽 Guan Yu); 白脸 (white face) = cunning, treacherous (e.g. 曹操 Cao Cao). Idiomatically, 唱红脸 / 唱白脸 became the classic "good cop / bad cop" routine.

usage

Almost always paired with 唱白脸 (chàng báiliǎn, play the bad cop). Common in parenting, sales, and negotiation contexts. Note the meaning is the opposite of English "red-faced" (embarrassed).

Stroke Order

唱 chàng

红 hóng

脸 liǎn