chóu méi kǔ liǎn: 愁眉苦脸 - To look sad/worried; to pull a long face

• Keywords: choumeikulian, 愁眉苦脸, look sad, look worried, pull a long face, sad face expression, Chinese idiom for sadness, worried expression, chengyu for worry, frowning, looking miserable, 苦脸, 愁眉.
• Summary: A vivid and essential Chinese idiom (chengyu), 愁眉苦脸 (chóu méi kǔ liǎn) describes the physical expression of someone who is deeply worried, sad, or troubled. Literally meaning “worried brows, bitter face,” it paints a clear picture of a person's distressed appearance. This term is fundamental for understanding how emotions are described in Chinese and is commonly used in everyday conversation to point out that someone looks visibly upset.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): chóu méi kǔ liǎn
• Part of Speech: Chengyu (四字成语), Adjective, Verb (can function as a predicate)
• HSK Level: HSK 6
• Concise Definition: To wear a worried, pained, or miserable expression; to pull a long face.
• In a Nutshell: This isn't just about feeling sad; it's about that sadness being written all over your face for everyone to see. Imagine someone knitting their eyebrows together in worry and their mouth turning down in misery—that is the very picture of `愁眉苦脸`. It's the universal look of someone who is facing a difficult problem, just received bad news, or is burdened by deep anxiety.

• 愁 (chóu): To worry, to be anxious. This character combines `秋 (qiū)` for autumn and `心 (xīn)` for heart. Think of the melancholy feeling associated with the end of summer—an “autumn of the heart.”
• 眉 (méi): Eyebrows. A simple character that looks like an eyebrow over an eye, representing the brow ridge.
• 苦 (kǔ): Bitter, miserable, pained. Originally depicting a bitter-tasting plant, this character now represents any form of hardship, suffering, or bitterness.
• 脸 (liǎn): Face. The left-side radical `月` is a variant of `肉 (ròu)`, meaning “flesh,” which is common in characters for body parts.

The four characters combine to create a powerful image: “worried eyebrows” (愁眉) and a “bitter face” (苦脸). It's a direct and literal description of a distressed facial expression.

In Chinese culture, where emotional restraint and maintaining social harmony are often valued, showing an overtly distressed face can be a significant signal. A `愁眉苦脸` expression is a strong, often involuntary, sign that something is seriously wrong, breaking through the typical facade of calm. Compared to the English phrase “to wear one's heart on one's sleeve,” `愁眉苦脸` is more specific. The English phrase can refer to showing any strong emotion (love, joy, anger), whereas `愁眉苦脸` is exclusively for negative feelings like worry, sadness, and misery. It's closer to “pulling a long face,” but often implies a deeper, more internalised worry rather than just sullenness or a temporary bad mood. Seeing a friend or family member with this expression would typically prompt a question like, “What's wrong?” (怎么了?), as it's a clear, non-verbal cue that the person is suffering and may need support.

`愁眉苦脸` is an extremely common idiom used across all registers of Mandarin, from casual conversation to literature and news.

• In Daily Conversation: People use it to describe themselves or others. For example, a mother might say to her child, “Don't be so `愁眉苦脸` just because you can't have ice cream.” Or a friend might ask, “You've been `愁眉苦脸` all day, what happened?”
• As an Observation: It is almost always used to describe a negative or undesirable state. It can be used sympathetically to show concern, or sometimes with a hint of impatience, encouraging the person to cheer up.
• Formality: While it's a classical chengyu, it is perfectly at home in informal, spoken Chinese. Its vivid imagery makes it accessible to everyone.

• Example 1:
  • 考试没考好，他一整天都愁眉苦脸的。
  • Pinyin: Kǎoshì méi kǎo hǎo, tā yī zhěng tiān dōu chóu méi kǔ liǎn de.
  • English: He didn't do well on the exam, so he was pulling a long face all day.
  • Analysis: A classic example showing a direct cause (bad exam result) and effect (the facial expression). The particle `的 (de)` is often added at the end when `愁眉苦脸` is used as a descriptor.
• Example 2:
  • 你别愁眉苦脸了，问题总会解决的。
  • Pinyin: Nǐ bié chóu méi kǔ liǎn le, wèntí zǒng huì jiějué de.
  • English: Don't look so worried, the problem will eventually be solved.
  • Analysis: Here, it's used in a command with `别 (bié)` to tell someone to stop looking so miserable, offering a tone of reassurance.
• Example 3:
  • 看到账单后，他的脸立刻从微笑变成了愁眉苦脸。
  • Pinyin: Kàndào zhàngdān hòu, tā de liǎn lìkè cóng wēixiào biànchéngle chóu méi kǔ liǎn.
  • English: After seeing the bill, his expression immediately changed from a smile to one of worry.
  • Analysis: This sentence highlights the term's use to describe a sudden change in facial expression.
• Example 4:
  • 最近公司生意不好，老板天天愁眉苦脸。
  • Pinyin: Zuìjìn gōngsī shēngyì bù hǎo, lǎobǎn tiāntiān chóu méi kǔ liǎn.
  • English: Business has been bad at the company recently, so the boss looks worried every day.
  • Analysis: This shows how an ongoing situation (bad business) leads to a persistent state of `愁眉苦脸`.
• Example 5:
  • 奶奶看着窗外的雨，愁眉苦脸地叹了口气。
  • Pinyin: Nǎinai kànzhe chuāngwài de yǔ, chóu méi kǔ liǎn de tànle kǒu qì.
  • English: Grandma looked at the rain outside the window and sighed with a sad expression.
  • Analysis: Used here as an adverbial phrase with `地 (de)` to describe how an action (sighing) is performed.
• Example 6:
  • 没什么大不了的，干嘛一副愁眉苦脸的样子？
  • Pinyin: Méi shénme dàbuliǎo de, gànmá yī fù chóu méi kǔ liǎn de yàngzi?
  • English: It's no big deal, why do you have such a miserable look on your face?
  • Analysis: `一副…的样子 (yī fù… de yàngzi)` is a common structure meaning “to have a look/air of…”. `副 (fù)` is a measure word for facial expressions.
• Example 7:
  • 失业后，他终日愁眉苦脸，提不起精神。
  • Pinyin: Shīyè hòu, tā zhōngrì chóu méi kǔ liǎn, tí bù qǐ jīngshén.
  • English: After losing his job, he looked miserable all day and couldn't lift his spirits.
  • Analysis: This example connects the facial expression to the internal feeling of low energy or depression (`提不起精神`).
• Example 8:
  • 孩子们看到妈妈愁眉苦脸，都安静了下来，不敢说话。
  • Pinyin: Háizimen kàndào māma chóu méi kǔ liǎn, dōu ānjìng le xiàlái, bù gǎn shuōhuà.
  • English: When the children saw their mom's worried face, they all quieted down and didn't dare to speak.
  • Analysis: Demonstrates the social effect of this expression; it can signal a serious atmosphere to others.
• Example 9:
  • 球队输了总决赛，队员们个个愁眉苦脸地离开了赛场。
  • Pinyin: Qiúduì shūle zǒngjuésài, duìyuánmen gège chóu méi kǔ liǎn de líkāile sàichǎng.
  • English: The team lost the finals, and every one of the players left the field with a dejected expression.
  • Analysis: Shows the term can be applied to a group of people (`个个` - each and every one) sharing a collective disappointment.
• Example 10:
  • 与其在这里愁眉苦脸，不如想想办法。
  • Pinyin: Yǔqí zài zhèlǐ chóu méi kǔ liǎn, bùrú xiǎngxiang bànfǎ.
  • English: Rather than sitting here looking miserable, it would be better to think of a solution.
  • Analysis: Used in the `与其…不如… (yǔqí… bùrú…)` structure to contrast a useless action (worrying) with a productive one (finding a solution).

• It's about the Face: The most common mistake is to use `愁眉苦脸` to simply mean “sad.” It specifically describes the physical manifestation of sadness or worry on the face. A person can feel sad (`难过 nánguò`) or worried (`担心 dānxīn`) on the inside without necessarily looking `愁眉苦脸`.
  • Correct: 他很担心，所以愁眉苦脸的。(He's very worried, so he has a long face.)
  • Incorrect nuance: 我心里很愁眉苦脸。(My heart is very `chóu méi kǔ liǎn`.) — This is wrong because the term describes an external appearance, not an internal feeling. You would say `我心里很难过 (wǒ xīnli hěn nánguò)`.
• Not “Grumpy” or “Pouting”: `愁眉苦脸` implies genuine distress, worry, or deep sadness. It's different from being grumpy (`脾气不好 píqi bù hǎo`), which is a personality trait, or pouting (`噘嘴 juēzuǐ`), which can be a childish or manipulative expression. `愁眉苦脸` comes from a place of real trouble.
• Grammar with 的 (de): While you can use it directly as a predicate (e.g., `他愁眉苦脸`), it's very common and natural to use it as an adjectival or adverbial phrase, often with `的` or `地`.
  • `他愁眉苦脸的。` (He is looking worried.) - Adjectival
  • `他愁眉苦脸地坐着。` (He is sitting there with a worried look.) - Adverbial

• Synonyms / Similar Concepts:
  • 垂头丧气 (chuí tóu sàng qì) - To hang one's head in dejection. Describes body posture that often accompanies a `愁眉苦脸` expression.
  • 唉声叹气 (āi shēng tàn qì) - Sighing and groaning. The auditory expression of the same feelings that cause `愁眉苦脸`.
  • 忧心忡忡 (yōu xīn chōng chōng) - To be deeply worried and anxious. This is the internal feeling that *causes* one to look `愁眉苦脸`.
  • 闷闷不乐 (mèn mèn bù lè) - Depressed, melancholic, in low spirits. Another term for the internal emotional state.
  • 愁云惨雾 (chóu yún cǎn wù) - A gloomy and depressing atmosphere (lit. “worried clouds and miserable fog”). Extends the personal feeling to describe the entire environment.
• Antonyms:
  • 喜笑颜开 (xǐ xiào yán kāi) - To be all smiles, with one's face lit up with happiness.
  • 笑逐颜开 (xiào zhú yán kāi) - Beaming with joy, wreathed in smiles. A very close synonym to the one above.
  • 兴高采烈 (xìng gāo cǎi liè) - In high spirits, jubilant, elated. Describes a more energetic and active state of happiness.
  • 眉开眼笑 (méi kāi yǎn xiào) - Brows relaxing and eyes smiling. A direct physical antonym, describing a happy facial expression.