📖 Meaning
Describes someone with regular, decent-looking facial features. It can also imply a conventional or unremarkable appearance that is neither strikingly beautiful nor ugly, sometimes suggesting a cookie-cutter uniformity.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom appears in Chapter 46 of Cao Xueqin's 'Dream of the Red Chamber' (《红楼梦》) during the Qing Dynasty. The character Yuanyang angrily denounces the lecherous Jia She, saying that he cannot keep his hands off any woman who is even slightly '平头正脸' (decent-looking). The phrase also appears in Jia Fuxi's 'Mu Pi San Ren Gu Ci' (《木皮散人鼓词》) from the Ming Dynasty, where it is used to critique a world that favors convention over distinctive character.
💡 Example Usage
他长相平头正脸，算不上英俊，但也不难看。
He has regular, decent features — not exactly handsome, but not bad-looking either.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 平头正脸
- Pinyin: píng tóu zhèng liǎn
- Literal Translation: flat head, straight face
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4