A classic phrase about reputation.
First recorded in English in the late 19th century from the foreign community in China. It is now a standard English idiom.
A loan translation of the Chinese phrase 'diūliǎn' (丢脸). In Chinese culture, 'face' represents a person's reputation and dignity. To 'lose face' means to be humiliated or to suffer a loss of social standing. It is one of the earliest Chinese idioms to be fully integrated into the English language.
Chinglish Hub
