📖 Meaning
To change one's facial expression or physical appearance. It describes a visible shift in someone's countenance, often triggered by surprise, realization, or emotional impact. The phrase emphasizes an observable transformation in how a person looks.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom traces back to the Zhuangzi, a foundational Daoist text from the Warring States period attributed to Zhuang Zhou. In the chapter 'De Chong Fu' (The Seal of Virtue Complete), the statesman Zi Chan travels with a man who has lost a foot but possesses profound wisdom. When rebuked for judging worth by outward form rather than inner virtue, Zi Chan is struck with shame and visibly alters his expression. The text records that he 'changed his countenance and altered his appearance,' humbly acknowledging his error.
💡 Example Usage
听闻恩师的噩耗，他不禁改容易貌，悲痛万分。
Upon hearing the tragic news of his mentor's passing, he could not help but change his expression, overwhelmed with grief.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 改容易貌
- Pinyin: gǎi róng yì mào
- Literal Translation: change, appearance, change, looks
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4