改 头 换 面

gǎi tóu huàn miàndictionary entry

to change outwardly while remaining essentially the same (derog.) (idiom) / (Tw) (non-derogatory) to change considerably / to undergo a transformation

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-f2a276c34aaec0c2. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

改頭換面 改头换面 [gai3 tou2 huan4 mian4] /to change outwardly while remaining essentially the same (derog.) (idiom)/(Tw) (non-derogatory) to change considerably/to undergo a transformation/

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: 改頭換面

改
gǎi
to change / to alter / to transform / to correct
头
tóu
head / hair style / the top / end / beginning or end / a stub / remnant / chief / boss / side / aspect / first / leading / classifier for pigs or livestock / CL:個|个[gè]
tou
suffix for nouns
换
huàn
to exchange / to change (clothes etc) / to substitute / to switch / to convert (currency)
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

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.