📖 Meaning
The nose is bruised green and the eye area is dark purple. It describes a face that is severely battered and bruised, typically from being beaten. The vivid colors convey the seriousness of the facial injuries.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the contemporary novel 'Sweet Lettuce' (甜苣儿) by the Chinese writer Zhang Shishan. In the story, a character named Si Heiniu finds a pretext during wheat threshing to beat the protagonist Sweet Lettuce about the head and face, leaving the victim's nose green and eyes purple. The phrase paints a graphic picture of the severe facial injuries inflicted by the beating. It has since become a common expression for a badly battered face.
💡 Example Usage
他被几个流氓打得鼻青眼紫，连路都走不稳。
He was beaten so badly by several hooligans that his face was black and blue, and he could barely walk straight.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 鼻青眼紫
- Pinyin: bí qīng yǎn zǐ
- Literal Translation: nose, green, eye, purple
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4