📖 Meaning
This idiom describes a person whose hands and face are covered in dirt and grime. It portrays a state of being unkempt and unwashed, typically resulting from manual labor, hardship, or neglect of personal hygiene. The expression vividly conveys a filthy, disheveled appearance.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom does not trace to a single specific literary source or historical anecdote. It is a descriptive compound formed from common Chinese characters — 污 (dirty), 手 (hand), 垢 (grime), and 面 (face) — that together paint a picture of bodily uncleanliness. Such expressions appear throughout Chinese vernacular literature and everyday speech to depict characters enduring poverty, exhaustion, or rough conditions. It belongs to a family of idioms describing disheveled appearances common in classical and modern Chinese writing.
💡 Example Usage
那个流浪汉污手垢面，在街角翻找食物。
The homeless man, with dirty hands and a grimy face, rummaged for food on the street corner.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 污手垢面
- Pinyin: wū shǒu gòu miàn
- Literal Translation: dirty hands, grimy face
- Category: Condition
- Characters: 4