嬉皮笑脸

嬉皮笑臉
xīpí-xiàoliǎn
idiom #35,591

Meanings

  1. 1 all smiles (in a frivolous way)
  2. 2 smiling mischievously or ingratiatingly
  3. 3 grinning cheekily

Examples

HSK 5
Tā zhěngtiān xīpí-xiàoliǎn de, cóngbù rènzhēn.
He's grinning around all day and never takes anything seriously.
HSK 7-9
Bié xīpí-xiàoliǎn de, wǒ zài gēn nǐ jiǎng zhèngjīngshì.
Stop grinning like that - I'm talking to you about something serious.

Tips

register
Always slightly negative or scolding - describes someone who won't take a situation seriously. Often used by parents and teachers reprimanding children, or adults dismissing a flippant attitude. The phrase appears in 《红楼梦》 (Dream of the Red Chamber, ch. 30), where 黛玉 uses it to chide 宝玉 about his other female companions.
memory
(play around) + (skin, here 'cheeky') + 笑脸 (smiling face) - literally 'play-around cheeky smiling face'. The image is of someone wearing a fixed grin while goofing off.

Stroke Order

xiào
liǎn