📖 Meaning
To groom oneself by combing the hair, applying makeup, and dressing up. It refers to the act of adorning one's appearance before appearing in public or for a special occasion. The phrase emphasizes deliberate, careful preparation of one's looks.
📜 Origin Story
This is a common descriptive phrase rather than a classical idiom with a single literary source. It combines the everyday verbs 梳妆 (to comb hair and apply makeup) and 打扮 (to dress up or adorn), both of which have long histories in Chinese vernacular and appear across classical vernacular novels and drama. Over time the two became paired as a fixed expression describing personal grooming. No specific dynasty, text, or figure is credited as its origin.
💡 Example Usage
她每天早上都要花半小时梳妆打扮才出门上班。
Every morning she spends half an hour doing her hair and makeup before heading to work.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 梳妆打扮
- Pinyin: shū zhuāng dǎ bàn
- Literal Translation: comb hair, apply makeup, arrange, adorn
- Category: Lifestyle
- Characters: 4