📖 Meaning
To apply rouge and powder to one's face. It literally refers to a woman putting on makeup, but is commonly used metaphorically to mean whitewashing or glossing over something ugly or shameful to make it appear attractive.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase comes from Ling Mengchu's "Slapping the Table in Amazement" (二刻拍案惊奇), a collection of vernacular short stories from the Ming Dynasty. In the story 'Magistrate's Lady Zhao Cleverly Sends Huang Citrus,' the expression describes a woman who applies makeup and deliberately flaunts her charms to seduce wealthy young men. Over time, the phrase evolved from its literal sense of cosmetic beautification into a common metaphor for covering up the true, often unsavory nature of something through superficial embellishment.
💡 Example Usage
这篇报道对事故原因涂脂抹粉，回避了真正的问题。
The report whitewashed the cause of the accident and sidestepped the real issue.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 涂脂抹粉
- Pinyin: tú zhī mǒ fěn
- Literal Translation: apply rouge, wipe powder
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4