素面朝天

Chinese

		face without makeup; unadorned face	to have an audience with the emperor
simp. and trad. (素面朝天)		素面	朝天
Literally: “plain face facing the sky/emperor”.

Etymology

Originally used in reference to Lady of the State of Guo (虢國夫人), the sister (or cousin) of Yang Guifei (the renowned beautiful consort of the Emperor Xuanzong of Tang). Per the Unofficial Biography of Yang Guifei (《楊太真外傳》) by Le Shi:

虢國不施妝粉，自炫美艷，常素面朝天。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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虢国不施妆粉，自炫美艳，常素面朝天。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Le Shi, 《楊太真外傳》 (Unofficial Biography of Yang Guifei), 10^th c. CE

Guóguó bù shī zhuāngfěn, zì xuàn měiyàn, cháng sùmiàncháotiān. [Pinyin]

Counting on her natural beauty, Lady of the State Guo does not wear make-up, and often presents herself to the emperor unadorned.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sùmiàncháotiān

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄨˋ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄔㄠˊ ㄊㄧㄢ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sou³ min⁶ ciu⁴ tin¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sùmiàncháotiān
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄨˋ ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄔㄠˊ ㄊㄧㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sùmiàncháotian
    • Wade–Giles: su⁴-mien⁴-chʻao²-tʻien¹
    • Yale: sù-myàn-cháu-tyān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: suhmiannchaurtian
    • Palladius: сумяньчаотянь (sumjanʹčaotjanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /su⁵¹⁻⁵³ mi̯ɛn⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰɑʊ̯³⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sou³ min⁶ ciu⁴ tin¹
    • Yale: sou mihn chìuh tīn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sou³ min⁶ tsiu⁴ tin¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: sou³ min⁶ qiu⁴ tin¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sou̯³³ miːn²² t͡sʰiːu̯²¹ tʰiːn⁵⁵/

Idiom

素面朝天

1. (literary, historical) to present oneself to the emperor without any makeup
2. (figurative, of a woman) to wear no makeup; to show one's natural features; to present oneself just as one is