The New Dictionary.
Search dictionary
Chinese/Dictionary entry

面有难色

miàn yǒu nán sèdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to show signs of reluctance or embarrassment
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-8f0b261d6d83a570. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

面有難色 面有难色 [mian4 you3 nan2 se4] /to show signs of reluctance or embarrassment/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 面有難色

  • 面
    miàn

    face / side / surface / aspect / top / classifier for objects with flat surfaces such as drums, mirrors, flags etc / flour / noodles / (of food) soft (not crunchy) / (slang) (of a person) ineffectual / spineless

  • 有
    yǒu

    to have; there is / (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[yǒu yì] intentional)

  • 难
    nán

    difficult (to...) / problem / difficulty / difficult / not good

    nàn

    disaster / distress / to scold

  • 色
    sè

    color / CL:種|种[zhǒng] / look / appearance / sex

    shǎi

    (coll.) color / used in 色子[shǎi zi]

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.