本来面目

本來面目

běnlái-miànmù

idiom #22,194

Meanings

1 true colors
2 true nature
3 original face
4 one's real self

Characters

root; original; fundamental

come; original (classical)

eye; appearance (classical)

Examples

HSK 5

这座古城修复后恢复了本来面目。

Zhè zuò gǔchéng xiūfù hòu huīfù le běnlái-miànmù.

After restoration, the ancient city recovered its original appearance.

HSK 6

经过一段时间，他终于露出了本来面目。

Jīngguò yī duàn shíjiān, tā zhōngyú lùchū le běnlái-miànmù.

After a while, he finally revealed his true colors.

Tips

history

Originally a Zen Buddhist (禅宗) term. 本来面目 refers to one's original nature before birth, the pure, unconditioned mind. The phrase is famously associated with the Sixth Patriarch Huineng's koan 'What was your face before your parents were born?' It entered everyday Chinese to mean 'true self' or 'true nature.'

Stroke Order

本 běn

来 lái

面 miàn

目 mù