死要面子活受罪 sǐ yào miàn zi huó shòu zuì

DEFINITIONS

  1. to go through hell for the sake of keeping up appearances (idiom)

CHARACTERS

死 sǐ
HSK 4
die; dead; death
要 yào
HSK 2
necessary, essential; necessity
面 miàn
HSK 1
face; surface; plane; side, dimension
子 zi
HSK 1
offspring, child; fruit, seed of; 1st terrestrial branch
活 huó
HSK 4
live, exist, survive; lively
受 shòu
HSK 4
receive, accept, get; bear, stand
罪 zuì
HSK 6
crime, sin, vice; evil; hardship