📖 Meaning
The appearance is completely different from what it once was, having changed beyond recognition. It describes something or someone altered so drastically that the original form is no longer discernible, often implying a deterioration or loss. The tone is typically negative, pointing to a change that is startling or undesirable.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom comes from 'Lu Pan' (陆判), a tale in Liaozhai Zhiyi (Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio), the celebrated collection of supernatural stories by Pu Songling of the Qing dynasty. In the story, Zhu Erdan, a scholar befriended by the underworld judge Lu Pan, complains that his wife is plain-looking. The judge obliges by transplanting onto her the head of a beautiful woman who had recently died. When she lifts her head and wakes, her face is entirely different from before, giving rise to the phrase '面目全非'.
💡 Example Usage
多年后回到故乡，儿时熟悉的街道已面目全非。
Returning to my hometown after many years, the streets I knew as a child were completely unrecognizable.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 面目全非
- Pinyin: miàn mù quán fēi
- Literal Translation: face, eyes, entirely, not the same
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4