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變臉

简变脸 · 繁變臉

Mandarin · pinyin biàn liǎn

to turn hostile suddenly
face changing, a device of Sichuan Opera, a dramatic change of attitude expressing fright, anger etc

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Characters in this entry

變: Look up this written character
臉: liǎn · face; cheek; reputation
变: biàn · change, transform, alter; rebel
脸: liǎn · face; cheek; reputation

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Mandarin tones

4–3 · bian4 lian3

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

(theater) rapid changes of facial expressions to show fear or anger

verb

(intransitive, verb-object) to suddenly turn hostile
(colloquial) to change one's ideas

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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