📖 Meaning
This idiom describes someone who praises a person to their face but speaks ill of them behind their back. It characterizes two-faced, hypocritical behavior where flattery in person masks criticism at a distance. Such conduct reveals insincerity and a fundamental lack of integrity.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom encapsulates a timeless human failing condemned throughout classical Chinese moral thought. Confucian teachings prized sincerity and consistency between one's words and deeds, making the gap between public praise and private slander a clear ethical violation. The behavior was commonly associated with sycophants at court who curried favor in person while undermining rivals out of earshot. Though no single literary work is cited as its definitive source, the phrase draws on a well-established tradition of moral critique found across historical and philosophical texts.
💡 Example Usage
他在领导面前表现得极为恭敬，却面誉背毁，实在令人不齿。
He fawns over the leader with apparent respect, yet praises to their face and slanders behind their back—truly despicable.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 面誉背毁
- Pinyin: miàn yù bèi huǐ
- Literal Translation: face, praise, back, slander
- Category: Communication
- Characters: 4