📖 Meaning
This idiom describes a person whose face loses all color, becoming pale and ashen. It conveys a state of extreme fear, shock, or distress that visibly drains the blood from one's countenance. The expression paints a vivid picture of someone so overwhelmed that their face turns ghastly white.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom does not have a single well-documented classical origin story. It is a descriptive compound formed from the characters meaning 'without face color' and 'losing color,' traditionally used in vernacular Chinese literature to depict characters struck by sudden terror or grief. Similar phrasing appears in various Ming and Qing dynasty novels where authors described characters' reactions to alarming news. Over time it became a recognized four-character expression for visible pallor caused by fright.
💡 Example Usage
听到这个噩耗，他顿时无颜落色，呆立当场。
Upon hearing the dreadful news, he instantly lost all color in his face and stood frozen on the spot.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 无颜落色
- Pinyin: wú yán luò sè
- Literal Translation: no, face color, fall, color
- Category: Emotion
- Characters: 4